The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, has successfully neutralised over 40 terrorists during a series of coordinated close air support and air interdiction operations carried out in the Azir and Musarram areas of Borno State.
These operations, which significantly disrupted planned terrorist attacks, played a crucial role in strengthening ongoing ground efforts against insurgent elements.
This achievement was detailed in a statement released by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, on Sunday in Abuja. According to Ejodame, the missions were executed on January 15 and 16 by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI.
The air operations were launched following actionable intelligence and were executed in close collaboration with ground troops who were already in contact with enemy forces. The precise and timely coordination between the air and ground components was critical in the success of these operations.
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He said the NAF aircraft, in the early hours of Jan. 16, swiftly responded to a distress report at Azir, where troops were engaged with terrorists withdrawing from the area.
According to him, further scans revealed terrorist elements attempting to regroup under nearby tree cover, prompting precise and successive air strikes that neutralised several of them.
“Post-strike assessment confirmed no further threats, while feedback from ground troops, local authorities and community sources indicated a significant degradation of terrorist presence and a return of relative calm.
“Earlier on Jan. 15, NAF air assets carried out a successful air interdiction at Musarram in the Tumbuns general area after intelligence revealed terrorists assembling on canoes to launch attacks along the Baga and Fish Dam axis.
“On arrival, the aircraft sighted about 10 canoes and over 40 suspected terrorists, who were engaged in multiple passes, throwing them into disarray.
“Some fleeing elements were trailed and neutralised, while others who regrouped at an assembly area were also engaged, effectively dismantling the terrorist concentration,” he said.
Reacting, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, reaffirmed the NAF’s commitment to providing timely and decisive air support to ground forces.
Aneke said the operations demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence-led air power and close air–ground coordination in denying terrorists freedom of action.
He assured Nigerians of sustained pressure on terrorist elements as the Armed Forces of Nigeria continue efforts to degrade their capabilities and stabilise affected areas.
NAN
