The Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai has neutralised over 37 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in the Sambisa Forest of Borno State.

The director army public relations, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said the joint troops of the operation in the early hours of Saturday observed movement of six gun trucks within Sambisa Forest general area, which were subsequently located at a settlement near Yuwe.

He said the trucks later moved to a remote location, where they were joined by other terrorist elements at a convergence for a meeting.

According to him, “over 50 Boko Haram/ ISWAP fighters were observed to have gathered at the meeting. Having clearly identified the terrorists’ hideout, the Air Component of OPHK immediately dispatched two aircraft to conduct air interdiction on the location.”

He said the strikes, which were carried out under cover of darkness, were successful and devastating, “as battle damage assessment corroborated by local sources revealed that over 37 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists were neutralised, while several of them reportedly suffered varying degrees of injury.”

Nwachukwu said as the aircraft retreated to base after the air interdiction, the combat air crew located another set of four gun trucks about six kilometres South West of Bama.

“The air crew immediately relayed the coordinates of the location of the Gun Trucks to troops of the Land Component at Bama, who promptly engaged the location with Artillery fire bombardment, neutralizing the insurgents’ gun trucks.” he added

General Nwachukwu said the successful joint operations conducted by both the Air and Land Components underscores the importance of synergy and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.