Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on 29 October 2023 struck an identified terrorists’ hideout killing 22 fighters on gun trucks and two motorcycles in Borno State.
A statement by the director of public relations and information, Air Cdre Edward Gabkwet said the air component of “Operation Hadin Kai” following intelligence that about 22 terrorists in a gun truck and two motorcycles were sighted near Marte immediately dispatched to interdict the location.
He said the aircraft, after scanning the area, sighted the terrorists at about 22 km west of Marte and moving northwards towards Monguno.
“After trailing the terrorists for about 70 minutes, the terrorists in the gun truck and two motorcycles stopped underneath a tree, probably to refuel or evade being seen. The targets were subsequently engaged with a huge ball of fire engulfing the area observed afterward, destroying the gun strike and motorcycles with no sign of movement observed afterward. The huge explosion could be indicative that the point where the terrorists hid was likely a logistics base or their vehicle was conveying weapons or explosive ordinances” he said.
He said terrorists attempt to evade detection and the firepower of the land and air components of “Operation Hadin Kai” is indicative of their inability to hold ground and pose significant threats to military formations or pick on soft civilian targets at will.
He recalled that Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State noted that the security situation in Borno State has improved by more than 85 per cent while economic activities have picked up.
“This attests to the successes of the efforts emplaced by the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies,” Gabkwet said.
According to the governor, “As the chief security officer of Borno State, we are doing well in terms of security as there has been serious improvement in our security situation and I want to commend the service chiefs for their efforts.”
