NAF destroys ISWAP staging area at Gashigar in Borno

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has destroyed an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) staging area at Gashigar in Borno state and neutralised several of the insurgents.

NAF said it also took out terrorists’ hideouts at Tumbun Rego on the fringes of Lake Chad and at Bula Bello near Sambisa Forest all in Borno state.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, made this known in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Daramola said this was achieved in air strikes conducted by the air task force of ‘Operation LAFIYA DOLE’ on Friday and Saturday on the heels of credible intelligence reports.

He explained that the attack on Gashigar was executed on January 25 after intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions indicated that the location, with its defensive parapets and underground tunnels, was being used by ISWAP elements as a staging area, where some of their leaders and fighters meet to plan and launch attacks.

“Accordingly, the air task force detailed its fighter aircraft to attack the identified location, destroying the structures, killing several terrorists in the process.

“Similarly, fighter jets were dispatched to attack Tumbun Rego and Bula Bello on January24 after a surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft detected significant activities in the two settlements.

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“The attack aircraft effectively engaged the targeted locations, equally destroying terrorist assets and neutralising several of their combatants.

“In all, scores of terrorists were neutralised in the three attacks, including some of their key leaders as later confirmed by human intelligence reports,” he said.

Daramola said NAF, operating in concert with surface forces would sustain its air campaign to shape the battle space in the north east for effective conduct of further ground and air operations.