Troops from the United States of America (USA) on Saturday commenced drone surveillance over Sambisa forest in Borno State, North East Nigeria.
The Abuja-based LEADERSHIP Sunday, which reported this, said it gathered that many Boko Haram militants have been spotted by the troops inside Sambisa Forest.
Sambisa forest is widely believed to be the fortress of the notorious Boko Haram sect. It is said to be one of the locations where the insurgents are believed to be holding some of the over 200 school girls who were abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2014.
The US Government recently said it was sending 300 troops along with surveillance drones to Cameroon to bolster a West African effort to counter the Boko Haram sect.
The sighting of the insurgents was an indication that the effort was already yielding result, the paper reported.
Boko Haram, which wants to carve out an Islamist caliphate and has allied itself to Islamic State, earlier this year stepped up cross-border attacks on Nigeria’s neighbours.
•Photo shows US drone in operation.
NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.
