The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says several Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) have been neutralised and some structures in their camp at Abulam in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State have been destroyed in air strikes.
A statement from Air Force spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said the strikes were conducted yesterday, 31 December 2019, by the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole.
He said the mission was executed to mark the commencement of Operation Rattle Snake 2, an Air Interdiction Operation aimed at taking out some identified insurgent camps and logistics facilities in order to further unhinge the terrorists’ center of gravity and diminish their fighting capability.
Daramola said Abullam was selected for attack on Day One of the Operation based on credible intelligence reports indicating that the terrorists had resumed using the once-abandoned settlement as a staging point from where they launch attacks against ground troops’ locations.
He said the Air Task Force detailed its attack aircraft, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, to attack designated compounds within the settlement.
He said the jets took turns to engage the target in successive passes, leading to the destruction of some of the structures as well as the killing of several terrorists.
Daramola recalled that, in early to mid-December 2019, the NAF planned and executed the highly successful Operation Rattle Snake 1.
He said Operation Rattle Snake 2 is planned to consolidate the gains of the earlier operation and shape the battlespace for further air and ground operations.
