By Emma Peter, Abuja
The Nigerian military has said that the Operation Lafiya Dole have destroyed a compound housing some high value Boko Haram terrorist leaders, neutralized some of their fighters at Garin Maloma on the suburbs of the Sambisa forest in Borno State.
Military authorities avarred that the exercise was carry out through massive air strikes executed to mark the launch of ‘Operation Long Reach’, a new subsidiary operation in the theatre, which commenced its operation on 16 June 2020.
This was contained in a press statement released to journalists on Thursday June 18, 2020, in Abuja by Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche.
“The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole has destroyed a compound housing some High Value Boko Haram terrorist (BHT) leaders and neutralized some of their fighters at Garin Maloma on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State. This was achieved through massive air strikes executed to mark the launch of ‘Operation Long Reach’, a new subsidiary operation in the theatre, which commenced on 16 June 2020.
“The attack at Garin Maloma, a major node in the BHT’s line of communication in the Sambisa Forest axis, was undertaken based on credible intelligence reports as well as days of surveillance missions indicating that the terrorists had begun using one of the compounds in the settlement for accommodation and training of their fighters”, the statement said.
It further added that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets engaged the location in successive waves of attacks leading to significant damage to numerous structures as well as killing of several terrorists.
“Accordingly, the ATF dispatched an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft and fighter jets to attack the location. Overhead the target area, many BHT fighters were observed in the vicinity of settlement, with a few around the solar panel-mounted, High Value Target (HVT) location. The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets engaged the location in successive waves of attacks leading to significant damage to numerous structures as well as killing of several terrorists. Some terrorists, who survived the first few waves and converged around the rubble near the damaged HVT compound, were taken out in subsequent follow-on attacks”.
According to the statement, “The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was in Maiduguri to flag-off ‘Operation Long Reach’ commended the Air Task Force, directing them to intensify the air offensive against the terrorists and all other enemies of our great nation”.
