The Nigerian Air Force has commenced the second phase of its offensive against Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast by deploying six special combat jets that are geared towards wiping out the terrorists in a short time.
The six lethal aircrafts, comprising three Alpha Jets and three MIF7 jets were launched on Friday in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital and are to be used by a new combat group code named ‘Operation Gama-Aiki’ which translates to ‘end the Job’ in Hausa.
Air Component Commander of the Flagship Counterinsurgency; ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’, Peter Uzezi, stated that the six fighter jets had been deployed with specific instructions to the northern axis and expressed optimism that the new phase of the campaign would “flush out insurgents from the areas known to be a major stronghold of the outlawed group.”
He stated that the new operation followed a successful outing in Sambisa forest under the aegis of “Operation Crackdown” in collaboration with ground troops.
According to Uzezi, “Three out of the six aircrafts are Alfa jets, expected to patrol the Monguno axis and advance with ground troops towards Alagarno where operations are ongoing. “The other three are MIF7 jets heading towards Diffa general area in Niger Republic enroute Baga local government to effect logistic re-supply to troops operating in Baga and surrounding towns.
The Air Component Commander enjoined the air fighters, “to sustain coordinated airstrikes and interdiction with ground troops as well as the Multi National Joint Task Force.”
Comments