Heavy bombardments, airstrikes as troops neutralize 37 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, destroy gun trucks

The Nigerian army has said that no fewer than 37 terrorists fighters under Boko Haram and ISWAP were neutralized in Yuwa, near the Sambisa forest in Borno state in the North East of Nigeria.

The terrorists recorded the casualty in the early hours of Saturday during heavy assaults by joint troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) using both air and land components.

“The strikes, which were carried out under cover of darkness, were successful and devastating, as battle damage assessment corroborated by local sources revealed that over 37 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists were neutralized, while several of them reportedly suffered varying degrees of injury”. Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu disclosed in a statement.

In the statement the vigilant troops observed the movement of six Gun Trucks within Sambisa Forest general area, which were subsequently located at a settlement near Yuwe.

The trucks later moved to a remote location, where they were joined by other terrorist elements, in what seemed like a convergence for a meeting.

The army said “Over 50 Boko Haram/ ISWAP fighters were observed to have gathered at the meeting. Having clearly identified the terrorists’  hideout, the Air Component of OPHK immediately dispatched two  aircrafts to conduct air interdiction on the location”.

Also, in a related development, as the aircraft retreated to base after the air interdiction, the combat air crew located another set of four Gun Trucks about six Kilometers South West of Bama.

“The air crew immediately relayed the coordinates of the location of the Gun Trucks to troops of the Land Component  at Bama, who promptly engaged the location with Artillery fire bombardment, neutralizing the insurgents’ gun trucks.

“The successful joint operations conducted by both the Air and Land Components, with the support of other security agencies under Operation HADIN KAI has yet again underscored the importance of synergy and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and insurgency. 

The army assures that the troops of OPHK remain resolute and unshaken in their effort to bring the insurgents to their knees.