TheCable

The Nigerian air force says the air task force (ATF) of operation Lafiya Dole has neutralised several Boko Haram insurgents in air strikes it conducted at Talala, Borno state.

Ibikunle Daramola, air force director of public relations and information, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

Daramola said the operation was carried out on Friday.

He said the operation was prompted by credible intelligence reports that insurgents appeared to have relocated some of their fighters from the fringes of Lake Chad in northern Borno to establish new camps along the Talala-Ajigin-Buk axis of the state.

“Series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions confirmed the presence of significant number of BHT fighters residing in makeshift shelters, camouflaged under thick vegetation on the outskirts of Talala,’’ he said in the statement.

“As a result, ATF dispatched two Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet aircraft to attack the Camp in multiple waves, leading to destruction of some of the structures and killing of several BHTs.”

The spokesman said the air force, working in concert with surface forces, would sustain the tempo of operations in order to destroy all the terrorists in Borno.