Military airstrikes kill 160 Boko Haram commanders, other terrorists in Borno, Yobe
By Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
The Air Component, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) has killed 160 Boko Haram terrorists at Bulabulin and Degbawa villages along the Kumadugu/Yobe River and Mandara Mountains in Borno and Yobe States.
The terrorists were neutralised on Thursday after the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets destroyed the terrorists’ camps along the riverbanks and mountains in Gwoza local council of Borno.
The Guardian learnt that the first military airstrike was at the Bulabubin hideouts along the Kumadugu/Yobe River Banks near Geidam in Yobe state.
A counter-insurgency expert, in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed, yesterday (Saturday), in Maiduguri that the Bulabulin hideout camp was established as a major hub of the Boko Haram activities in the Kumadugu/Yobe River Basins.
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“The terrorists recently coordinated attacks on border communities with the Niger Republic,” he said, noting that about 16 villagers were killed in Ngurokaya village of Geidam.
He added that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) also killed relatives of the deceased, while conducting burials for them in the village.
Military sources in Maiduguri and Damaturu, confirmed that the NAF Super Tucano fighter jets detailed an electro-optical system to attack the targeted area.
On how the terrorists were killed, Makama said: “The military airstrikes were synchronized with the ground troops in the targeted area for maximum hits.
“The airstrikes recorded devastating hits on the camps, killing about 100 terrorists,” he said.
Besides, he added that two gun trucks and eight makeshift structures were also destroyed in last Thursday’s multiple airstrikes.
According to him, the military airstrikes also killed a gang of 60 terrorists and their commanders in the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza local council.
He noted that they were neutralised, while reportedly holding a meeting on how to attack military outposts in Gwoza and other border communities.
He explained that the 60 terrorists killed, were loyalists to the notorious terrorists’ kingpin, Ali Ngulde, while the few surviving terrorists scampered for safety with gunshot wounds
“The troops were charged to intensify intelligence led coordinated joint actions of both the ground and air force to annihilate the terrorists,” he said, noting that this could end the war in the Northeast.
