NAF Airstrikes Eliminate 15 Terrorists, Destroy Hideouts in Sambisa Forest
The air component of Operation Hadin Kai has neutralised at least 15 terrorists and destroyed their structures in a precision strike at Zuwa, a new hideout within the Sambisa Forest axis of Borno State.
The operation, conducted on September 3 around 11:50 a.m., followed credible intelligence tracking terrorists who had fled from sustained ground operations in the Bitta axis in July.
Military sources said intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions carried out by Grey Raptor platforms revealed the movement of insurgents along a river line stretching from Bitta towards Zuwa.
“Overhead the West of Zuwa, our crew observed active terrorist structures with several fighters in ISWAP uniforms. It was evident the location had become a major concentration point,” one of the sources disclosed.
The air component then executed multiple precision strikes on the identified structures, hitting them with guided munitions. The bombardment neutralised more than 15 terrorists and razed their hideouts completely.
According to the sources, the operation was a direct follow-up to the July 28 clash in Bitta, where ground troops dislodged several terrorists and forced their withdrawal.
The military stressed that the operation underscores the sustained synergy between air and ground forces in the North-East, aimed at dismantling terrorist networks and denying them safe havens.
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, supported by the air component, have in recent weeks intensified coordinated operations across the Sambisa and Mandara mountains to target remnants of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
