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Tag: Boko Haram camps

  • Air Force destroyes Boko Haram camps

    The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) says the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole has neutralised Boko Haram terrorists’ camps at Zanari and Tunbun Rego in Borno State.

    A statement yesterday by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said the operation was done on Monday.

    The statement reads: “The NAF ATF of Operation Lafiya Dole has recorded further gains in the ongoing air interdiction operations to wipe out remnants of Boko Haram terrorists within the fringes of Lake Chad.

    “The ATF, on August 20, conducted air strikes on terrorist’ camps at Zanari and Tunbun Rego in Borno State. The strikes at Zanari were planned and executed based on intelligence reports indicating that insurgents had established a training camp in the village and were converging prior to departing for an attack on own troops locations around the Lake Chad area.

    “Accordingly, the ATF scrambled two NAF Alpha Jet aircrafts for a pre-emptive strike on two specified locations within Zanari, where the insurgents were assembled.”

    Daramola said the fighter aircraft acquired and attacked both locations, neutralising several insurgents, with only few survivors seen fleeing the area. He added that: “These were later mopped up by follow-on rocket strikes.

    “Similarly, another identified terrorist’ rendezvous point and staging area on the outskirts of Tunbun Rego was attacked and destroyed by the Alpha Jets.”

    He said the NAF would continue to deploy its platforms to conduct intensive Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions in the Northeast to discover locations of remnants of Boko Haram terrorist and neutralise them.

  • Army: no more Boko Haram camps in Northeast

    Army: no more Boko Haram camps in Northeast

    The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sanni Usman, yesterday in Lagos, said there were no more camps of Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast

    Col. Usman spoke with reporters at the inauguration of Strategic Communication Course for senior officers at the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information, Bonny Camp, Lagos.

    Usman, while assuring Nigerians that the military was winning the war against terrorism, said there were no more terrorists clustered in a particular place in the area.

    “The situation in the Northeast has tremendously improved. The military operations or the fight against terrorism and insurgency in the Northeast is hinged on three things.

    “First, defeating the Boko Haram terrorists which have been accomplished and making room to facilitate humanitarian assistance, which is ongoing.

    “Then restoration of law and order for good governance to take place.

    “We no longer have camps of Boko Haram terrorists and we no longer have them conveyed in the territories,” he said.

    “Those that were hitherto close are now open to the extent that we have trans-border trade.

    “Take for instance; just recently, the important road linking Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon was just re-opened.

    “We have come to the point that we can beat our chest and say we have dealt with Boko Haram.”

    On the inauguration of the communication course, Usman said training of personnel was paramount, adding that it would enhance proficiency.

    “It is in this regard that the Directorate of Army Public Relations places high premium on training of officers and soldiers.

    “The Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information must remain focused in the training of officers and soldiers to meet the need of well trained and skilled manpower.

    “This is the first of its kind to further enhance further joint operations of the armed forces and possibly international military engagement,” Usman said.

    “It is my hope that this course will make the desired impact on all of you and explicit growth fertilisation of ideas among the participants.

    “It is also our desire to see that at the end of the course, we turn out better informed senior officers.

    “Also, they should be well-equipped to partake in making or taking strategic decision for army information and dissemination management,” he said.

    Col. Usman thanked Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai for improving army formations.

    The NASPRI commandant, Col. John Agim, said the course was to better equip senior officers saddled with the responsibility of shaping the information environment.

    “As you settle down to face the rigours of this course, I urge you to take advantage of this training to enhance your capacity in public relations.

    “Also, enhance your capacity in information management and by extension in the profession of arms,” Col. Agim said.

    Agim said the course, which runs for three months, would be on media planning and crisis management, media matters and interview skills and digital media influence among others.

    Burutai impressed with success in counter-insurgency

    Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has hailed  the success recorded by troops fighting insurgency in the North-East.

    Represented by Maj. Gen. Hassan Umar, the Chief of Training and Operation, Gen. Buratai made the statement yesterday during the Combat Support Arms Training Week at the 7 Division Headquarters in Maiduguri.

    “I am glad to state that significant progress has been made and much success recorded in the operation.

    “Our troops have been able to carry out timely and synchronised operations in the theatre, thereby denying the Boko Haram terrorists freedom of action.

    “This, therefore, calls for more coveted efforts and synergy by all to achieve enduring peace and development.

    “Success in battle depends largely on the support provided by the supporting arms. We shall continue to do our best to make improvement in our well being.

    “The COASAT week is in line with the actualisation of my vision of enhancing professionalism in the Army through seminars, management retreat and training excercises for responsiveness to constitutional roles,’’ he said.

     

  • Soldiers destroy five more Boko Haram camps

    Soldiers destroy five more Boko Haram camps

    Troops of the Nigerian Army have destroyed five additional camps said to have been used by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.

    In a statement yesterday night, Army spokesman Col.  Sani Kukasheka Usman said a woman, suspected to be an active member of the group, was arrested during the operation.

    According to Usman, the suspect is undergoing interrogation at an undisclosed location.

    The statement reads: “In efforts to continually dominate recovered territories and clear all Nigerian territory of Boko Haram vestiges, the advancing troops of 5 Brigade Task Group have today cleared five more terrorists camps at Hausari and Baranga in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.

    “The troops, during an encounter with Boko Haram terrorists at the camps, killed two terrorists and recovered two dane guns and a double barrel gun. Twelve motorcycles abandoned by some fleeing terrorists were destroyed.

    “It will be recalled that troops of 5 Brigade had some time last month cleared and destroyed 20 terrorist camps at Kerenowa general area.”

    “Troops of 28 Task Force  Brigade, on patrol between Bitta-Yamteke in Borno State to block Boko Haram terrorists fleeing from Lagaran Fulani to enter Sambisa forest, discovered two planted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and successfully detonated them.

    “We wish to state here that, while striving to stamp out terrorists from Nigerian territory, the troops remain committed to ensuring that they clear and secure all known Boko Haram terrorist’ camps and enclaves  so that no terrorist can return to any of the recovered areas,” Usman stated.

  • Troops find hard drugs in Boko Haram camps

    Troops find hard drugs in Boko Haram camps

    The Army said yesterday its troops usually find condoms, hard drugs and sex-enhancing drugs in camps captured from Boko Haram insurgents.

    Army spokesman Col. Sani Usman, said the findings underlined the military’s belief that most Boko Haram militants were not grounded in Islam and were not driven by Islamic ideology.

    He said many of the insurgents so far arrested could not even recite the Quoran, Islam’s Holy book.

    He said those arrested by Army’s 3rd Division troops yesterday were found to be the suppliers of hard drugs and other stimulants to terrorists.

    They were nabbed between Depchi and Geidam, Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State

    He said: “The arrested persons were also engaged in the supply of fuel in addition to hard drugs such as Cannabis (Indian Hemp), Chlorofone substance (AKA Madaran suck and die) and Tramol, amongst others.

    “You will recall that sometimes ago we reported that ironically most of the Boko Haram terrorists captured by Nigerian military cannot read the Holy Qur’an, some of them cannot even recite the first chapter- Suratuh Al-Fatiha and yet they claimed they wanted to establish an ‘Islamic State’.

    “When the Nigerian military captured their bases and training camps, they never found Qur’an or other Islamic books, what were mostly found were ammunition, local charms, condoms and all sort of drugs including sex enhancing ones in their enclaves.

    “The arrest of these drug suppliers has reinforced that fact, more so as they have been making very useful statements.”

  • Military launches air raids on Boko Haram camps

    Military launches air raids on Boko Haram camps

    … Several insurgents killed

    Nigerian forces used jets and attack helicopters to bombard suspected Boko Haram camps in the northeast on Friday, killing a number of insurgents, the defense headquarters spokesman said.

    Brigadier-General Chris Olukolade told Reuters by telephone several camps had been attacked, including in the Sambisa game reserve in Borno State, but did not have further details.

    “A number of insurgents have been killed. It is not just Sambisa, every camp is under attack. But we have not done the mopping up operations on the ground to determine the numbers killed,” Olukolade said.

    Military personnel are trying to regain territory controlled by increasingly well-armed Boko Haram members in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, which were put under a state of emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday.

    Boko Haram, other Islamist militant groups such as al-Qaeda linked Ansaru and associated criminal gangs have become the biggest threat to stability in Nigeria.

    Thousands have been killed since Boko Haram launched an uprising almost four years ago in an effort to create an Islamic state in a country of about 170 million split roughly equally between Christians, who are the majority in the south, and Muslims, who predominate in the north.

    Violence has mostly happened far from the commercial hub Lagos or political capital Abuja and hundreds of miles away from oilfields in the southeast.