A number of criminals were killed when a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) plane used in Operation Hadin Kai (KAI) attacked terrorist hideouts in the Sambisa forest and the Tumbuns in Borno State on Monday.
According to reports, NAF aircraft were sent to a spot in Sambisa woodland that was thought to be the hideout of a known terrorist, Fiya Ba Yuram, the new head of the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), who took over for Abubakar Shekau.
A source claims that the moniker “Fiya” denotes the highest rank in the militant hierarchy of the terrorists. It stated that Yuram was a Shekau associate who shifted his allegiance to ISWAP following Shekau’s demise.
When the soldiers arrived at the scene, they saw activity; as a result, airstrikes were made on the area. Many terrorists were apparently killed after successful attacks on the area, however it was unclear if Yuram was one among the victims.
Following suspicious activity in the region thought to be a terrorist training camp, similar airstrikes were also conducted in the Tunbuns near Lake Chad. The targets caught on fire.
There was chaos at the scene following the bombing as any remaining militants sought refuge behind adjacent trees, which were later hit by the aircraft.
The authenticity of the intelligence given is also demonstrated by the Armed Forces of Nigeria’s (AFN) and other security agencies’ capacity to identify important terrorists’ targets for elimination, a source told The Guardian.
When contacted, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the NAF’s director of public relations and information, acknowledged the strikes and added: “Yes, strikes were carried out on some specified targets in the Tunbuns and Sambisa with varied degrees of success documented.”
