A joint military operation involving air and ground components have killed three notorious Boko Haram terrorists, Khaids Abbah Tukur, Maimusari, and Bakura Jega, alongside their colleague-terrorists, numbering over 75, at Mantari in Gezuwa area of Bama local government area of Borno State.
A defence intelligence source said the operation which resulted in the killing of the three wanted insurgents alongside other Boko Haram terrorists was conducted last Tuesday, December 20.
Naija News understands that this is just as the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Faruq Yahaya, and his counterpart, the Chief of Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, arrived Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Sunday morning, to celebrate the Yuletide with frontline troops.
“The airstrikes by our NAF aircraft was authorized after it was revealed that a Boko Haram terrorist Commander, simply known as Ikirima, had stationed his fighters and gun trucks at Mantari village, alongside other terrorists from other locations who had converged at the same location, on motorcycles and bicycles.
“Subsequently, the authorization for an air strike was given, leading to the elimination of several terrorists and structures in the area,” a source told PRNigeria.
The military intelligence source, while speaking further, disclosed that after the first wave of their airstrikes, some surviving terrorists found their way back to the same location to evacuate the bodies of terrorists neutralized.
“This thus provided an opportunity for a follow-up strike on the same location which has been confirmed very successful as over 200 terrorists were neutralized with dozens said to be in critical condition,” he added.
Meanwhile, a reliable Civil Joint Task Force (CJTF) source also confirmed that ISWAP and Boko Haram elements had perfected plans to resume active hostilities in the wake of the yuletide and forthcoming general elections.
He said: “The timely intelligence received on their plans, especially their attempt to attack soft targets in Bama LGA thus helped in the successful air strike which has reduced their will to regroup and attack innocent citizens.”
