Bravo: Air Force Destroys New Boko Haram Camp
SAN FRANCISCO, August 30, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has destroyed a new camp being operated by the Boko Haram insurgents between Malam Fatori and Kangarwa in Borno State.
According to the Director, NAF Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, the attack, which was conducted overnight, followed an intelligence report that survivors of a similar NAF Mi-17 helicopter attack on August 20 had converged at the new location.
“The Nigerian air force (NAF), during a night operation conducted yesterday, successfully destroyed a new Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) camp located between Malam Fatori and Kangarwa in northern Borno,” Famuyiwa said.
“The new camp is about 4-6km away from the BHT location attacked earlier on 20 August 2016 by NAF Mi-17 helicopter within the same vicinity in a similar night operation that led to the death of about 300 insurgents. The post-strike battle damage assessment (BDA) mission had revealed that surviving BHTs converged at the new location.
“The information was later confirmed to be true by series of follow-up intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions that led to the latest strike. Recall that the general area around Malam Fatori and Kangarwa is infested with BHTs hence the need to clear the remnants of BHT in the area.”
Similarly, NAF Alpha Jets have helped to repel an attack from the insurgents, about 4km south of Marte, who were on fighting patrol at Ala Lumshe.
“Meanwhile, NAF Alpha Jets have helped to repel an attack by BHTs on troops of 153 battalion who were on fighting patrol at Ala Lumshe,” he added.
“The troops, on Saturday 27 August 2016, had come under attack from BHTs about 4km south of Marte when the Alpha Jets were called-in to dislodge the insurgents.”
Furthermore, NAF also resumed that it consumes 1.9m litres of aviation fuel monthly to prosecute the war against Boko Haram in the Northeast.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the NAF Logistics Seminar held in Lagos on Tuesday .
According to Abubakar, NAF has managed to continue its operations across the country despite the scarcity of aviation fuel because it was determined to ensure that no Nigerian territory was under siege.
“To support air operations in the northeast, the NAF must put an excellent plan that will ensure availability of aviation fuel in the operational area, whether the product is locally available or not. The service consume an average of 1.9 million litres of aviation fuel monthly,” he said.
“The main fighter air plane we use, consumes 2500 litres/hour and we fly at least two air planes at a time. At that consumption rate, the two consume 5,000 litres every hour and we run two millions.”
Story by David Oputah