Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has revealed that the Army’s training and simulation exercise titled `Operation Shirin Harbin’, would also help in clearing criminal hideouts in the Alkaleri forest in Bauchi State.
Buratai said this while assessing the performance of Troops and their Commanders participating in the exercise in the Alkaleri forest.
He said apart from improving the combat readiness of the troops and the testing of high caliber weapons, the exercise would address security threats around the area.
“This area is a very good training ground but during this exercise, we will be killing two birds with a stone.
“It is a training exercise and it is also a real operation as we hope to clear any hideout of criminal gangs that are known to be operating in the fringes of the forest. This is the starting point for us to be more professional at this particular time,’’ he said.
He said the exercise had brought out the best in the Nigerian Army both in terms of troops combat readiness and in the handling of high caliber weapons.
He said some of the equipment used in the exercise had been abandoned in the workshop for many years.
According to him, some of the equipment were not usable but had been repaired and would be used in real time situation.
He said the exercise was a demonstration of the judicious use of funds allocated to the Army by government.
On his part, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, said the exercise was unprecedented stressing that such exercises would return the Army to its days.
(freedom online)
