Air force ‘destroys’ ISWAP camp in Borno

The Nigeria air force (NAF) says it destroyed an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) staging area at Gashigar in Borno state.

NAF said it also killed scores of the insurgents and destroyed their hideouts at Tumbun Rego on the fringes of Lake Chad and at Bula Bello near sambisa forest.

Ibikunle Daramola, NAF director of public relations and information, made this known in a statement on Monday.

Daramola said this was achieved in airstrikes conducted by the air task force (ATF) of operation Lafiya Dole on Friday and Saturday on the heels of credible intelligence reports.

He said the attack on Gashigar was executed on January 25 after intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) 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 ATF detailed its fighter aircraft to attack the identified location, destroying the structures, killing several terrorists in the process,” he said.

“Similarly, fighter jets were dispatched to attack Tumbun Rego and Bula Bello on Jan.24, after ISR aircraft detected significant activities in the two settlements.

“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.”

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.

Recently, there has been an upsurge of insurgent attacks in the north-east. Many villages along Damaturu-Maiduguri road in Borno have been attacked by insurgents.

On Sunday, twin suicide bombers suspected to be members of Boko Haram attacked a mosque in Gwoza killing a 12-year-old child and leaving many people injured.

The suicide bombers were said to have forced their way into the mosque while prayers were being said.