By Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force
The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has destroyed a Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) logistics base, along with some vehicles, at Tumbun Sale in Northern Borno State.
The operation was conducted on 23 October 2018 after Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions revealed the presence of some BHT vehicles and several fighters camouflaged under thick vegetation within the area, where the BHTs had converged in order to launch attacks against own troops’ positions.
Accordingly, the ATF scrambled 2 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet aircraft, supported by an ISR platform, to attack the target area in multiple waves. The first wave of attacks recorded direct hits on a suspected BHT ammunition/fuel dump, sending it up in flames.
Subsequent strikes also resulted in the destruction of some vehicles and neutralization of several BHTs. The few surviving BHTs, that were seen fleeing the area, were mopped-up in follow-on attacks.
The NAF, working in concert with surface forces, will sustain the tempo of operations with a view to destroying all remnants of the terrorists on the fringes of Lake Chad and other areas in Northern Borno….