21st February, 2020
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) announced Thursday that it has destroyed an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) hideout at Bukar Meram on the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin in northern Borno.
NAF said it also neutralised some of the insurgents fighters in the same area. The claim has not been verified.
Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, said the operation was conducted on Wednesday.
Daramola said the feat was achieved on Feb.19, in air strikes conducted as part of the ongoing “Operation Rattle Snake III” after intelligence reports indicated an increase in activities in the settlement with the observation of more terrorist fighters operating in the area.
“Accordingly; the Air Task Force (ATF) scrambled its attack aircraft to engage designated locations within the settlement scoring multiple hits, leading to the neutralisation of some terrorists as well as the destruction of some structures housing the ISWAP elements.
“Operation Rattle Snake III, which commenced on Feb.4, is aimed at targeting selected locations within the northeast in order to shape the battle space for effective conduct of further ground and air operations”.