By Emmanuel Nduka
Sustained airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have thrown terrorist commanders and fighters operating in parts of Borno State into panic and disarray, with more than 26 terrorists reportedly neutralised in precision attacks on their enclaves.
The strikes were conducted by the Air Component of Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, against identified terrorist concentrations in forests around Monguno and Biu Local Government Areas of Borno State.
According to the military, the latest bombardments have not only inflicted significant casualties on the terrorist groups but have also disrupted their attempts to regroup, concentrate fighters and operate freely within the North-East Theatre of Operations.
Heritage Times HT reports that the operations were launched following credible intelligence and confirmatory Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions which tracked the movements and concentrations of suspected terrorists in the affected areas.
The Acting Military Information Officer of Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the precision strikes had significantly degraded the targeted formations.
In one of the operations around the Aduwa axis in Monguno LGA, an armed reconnaissance platform detected suspected terrorists before identifying a larger concentration within a settlement.
Following the necessary operational procedures and authorisation, the Air Force conducted precision strikes on the target. Subsequent Battle Damage Assessment indicated that about 16 terrorists were neutralised in two separate precision engagements.
The aircraft subsequently continued surveillance of the area and detected another group of terrorists attempting to regroup away from the initial target.
A further precision strike was conducted, with the military reporting that about 10 members of the group were successfully engaged.
In a separate operation around Buratai in Biu LGA, another Operation Hadin Kai air platform tracked terrorists gathered at a location and conducted a precision strike after sustained surveillance and the requisite authorisation.
The military said the strike successfully impacted the identified target, neutralising about 10 additional terrorists.
The latest operations are coming amid reports of growing pressure within terrorist networks in the North-East, including hunger, insecurity and factional clashes, which have reportedly contributed to an increasing number of fighters abandoning their groups and surrendering to government forces.
Captain Goni said the latest air operations demonstrated the growing effectiveness of Operation Hadin Kai’s integrated ISR capabilities in detecting terrorist movements before they could develop into threats against troops and vulnerable communities.
He stressed that attempts by terrorists to conceal their movements, disperse into smaller groups or exploit remote forest locations could no longer guarantee their freedom from detection.
Beyond the immediate casualties inflicted, the military said the strikes were expected to further weaken the terrorists’ freedom of action, disrupt their command and control structures and increase pressure on their logistics and fighting formations.
The latest offensive forms part of the broader military campaign to degrade terrorist capabilities across the North-East while creating a safer environment for communities affected by the insurgency.
The military also said the kinetic operations were being complemented by non-kinetic measures, including community engagement, strategic communication, counter-messaging, humanitarian coordination and efforts to encourage terrorists and their associates to abandon violence and surrender.
According to Goni, the increasing number of surrenders recorded in recent weeks is an indication of the mounting pressure on terrorist networks and reinforces the message that those willing to abandon terrorism have a pathway away from violence.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing timely and credible information to security forces.
