The Nigerian Airforce has said that several Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) were neutralized and some structures in their camp at Abulam in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State were also been destroyed during an air strikes conducted on 31 December 2019, by the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE.
According to a statement by the Nigerian Air Force Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA, he noted that the mission was executed to mark the commencement of Operation RATTLE SNAKE 2, an Air Interdiction Operation aimed at taking out some identified insurgent camps and logistics facilities in order to further unhinge the terrorists’ centre of gravity and diminish their fighting capability.
He said that Abullam was selected for attack on Day One of the Operation based on credible intelligence reports indicating that the terrorists had resumed using the once abandoned settlement as a staging point from where they launch attacks against own ground troops’ locations. Accordingly, he stressed that the ATF detailed its attack aircraft, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, to attack designated compounds within the settlement. The jets took turns to engage the target in successive passes leading to the destruction of some of the structures as well as the killing of several terrorists.
“It may be recalled that, in early to mid December 2019, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) planned and executed the highly successful Operation RATTLE SNAKE 1. Operation RATTLE SNAKE 2 is planned to consolidate the gains of the earlier operation and shape the battle space for further air and ground operations,” he concluded.
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