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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), through its Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole, has launched ‘Operation Rattle Snake III‘ against terrorists in the North East.
According to a statement signed by NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, the air interdiction operation, which commenced on Tuesday, will target selected locations within the North East to further degrade remnants of the terrorists and deny them freedom to act.
Daramola said on the first day of the operation, strikes by NAF attack aircraft resulted in the destruction of an Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) hideout and killing of some of its fighters at Tongule in the Lake Chad area of northern Borno.
He said: “The air strikes were executed following series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, indicating that ISWAP fighters were harboured in some buildings at the southern edge of the settlement.”
Meanwhile, the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd.) has commenced the distribution of goats to the households affected by insurgency in the North East.
While speaking yesterday at the flag-off of the scheme tagged ‘Agro Support Project’ in Maiha Council of Adamawa State, the chairman of Victims Support Funds (VSF) said that the objective of the support project in the North East was to enhance victims of insurgency access to agricultural resources for food production and livelihood support.
Danjuma, who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Tijani Tumsa, stated that the intervention targeted 300 households each in Adamawa and Borno states, as well as 600 in Yobe State, pointing out that 3,600 goats would be distributed to the select beneficiaries.
“Each household will receive three nannys (female goats) and one billy (male goat) to ensure maximum productivity” he stated.
Also, Operatives of Operation Puff Adder of the police backed by the Police Airwing, stormed one of the largest operational camps of the Ansaru Terror Group (also housing other bandits and kidnappers) in Kuduru Forest, Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, and neutralised over 250 high-profile members of the group.
The operation, which commenced in the early hours of yesterday, was carried out by a combined team of Operation Puff Adder made up of the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Forces, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Special Tactical Squad (STS) and Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Force Public Relation Officer (FPRO), DCP Frank Mba, disclosed yesterday in Abuja that the operation was necessitated by actionable intelligence linking terror and criminal elements in the super camp to series of terror-related violence, kidnappings, gun-running, cattle rustling and other heinous crimes across the country.