KEY POINTS
- NAF logs 1,500+ flight hours in North-East counter-insurgency.
- 592 terrorists killed, 372 assets destroyed in 8 months.
- Governor Zulum calls for further heavier air power in key strongholds.
The Nigerian Air Force says its North-East air campaign has killed at least 592 terrorists and destroyed 372 enemy assets in the last eight months, intensifying pressure on Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters.
The operations, part of the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, have logged more than 1,500 operational flight hours and 798 combat sorties since the beginning of the year, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said in a statement Tuesday.
Air force operation Hadin Kai needs faster, sharper, more surgical
Chief of Air Staff Hasan Abubakar told Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum during a courtesy visit in Maiduguri that upgraded fleets and precision night-strike capabilities had crippled insurgent mobility and logistics.
“We have destroyed 206 technical vehicles and 166 logistics hubs deep in hostile territory,” Abubakar said. “This year, our air war is faster, sharper, and more surgical. We are taking out high-value targets, crippling logistics, and hunting down every cell that threatens peace.”
From Gonori to Rann, Dikwa to Damboa, and Azir to Mallam Fatori, NAF has maintained day and night missions, further using A-29 Super Tucano jets for precision strikes, Mi-171 helicopters for logistics and medevac, and advanced surveillance aircraft for 24-hour tracking. A newly acquired Mi-35 gunship is set to boost close-air support for ground forces.
Zulum urges heavier strikes in hard-to-reach zones
Governor Zulum praised the Air Force’s role in degrading terrorist capabilities and protecting communities but urged more air platforms for areas like the Lake Chad shores, Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, and the Mandara Mountains.
“Moreover these areas are very difficult to be manned effectively by ground troops alone. We need heavy air power to eliminate the insurgents and address insecurity in the general area,” he said.
Zulum also welcomed the deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and pledged full state support for the Air Force’s operations, noting the synergy between military branches as key to recent successes.
