The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said that it conducted fresh air strikes against Boko Haram in Borno State. Air force jets bombed and damaged suspected militant hideouts on the outskirts of Tumbin Gini and Tumbin Kayewa in northeastern Borno on Friday (16 September), the air force said, without quantifying the casualties.
The latest strikes were part of the Nigerian government’s efforts to eliminate the terrorists from the region, who are known for brutal killings and abductions. Their abduction of around 300 girls from a school in Chibok – most of whom are still in captivity, while a few managed to escape – had made international headlines.
“The air strikes were a result of ground based intelligence and successive Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance reports obtained from several missions flown by NAF platforms,” NAF Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, Director of Public Relations, said in a statement.
“In a video released by the NAF, some of the terrorists could be seen at one of the rendezvous where they were believed to be holding a high-level meeting when NAF jets were scrambled to hit the locations,” he added.
Famuyiwa said the F-7Ni and the Alpha jets of the Nigerian air force were used for the bombing operation.
“The air offensive of the NAF has continued to deny the terrorists any hiding place and room for maneuver. This has enabled unhindered advance by the surface forces as part of the ongoing Operation GAMA AIKI,” he said in the statement.
Referring to the previous air strikes conducted by the air force on 26 August targeting Boko Haram camps at Tumbin Rego, the officer said they had succeeded in killing “many high ranking members of the group”.
“A post-strike battle damage assessment of the strikes revealed that the rendezvous was badly damaged with many casualties while those far from the vicinity could be seen scrambling to safety,” the statement read, Vanguard reported.