According to the Nigerian Air Force, the air component of Operation Hadin Kai and troops of Nigeria Army jointly killed a number of terrorists on Wednesday.
The service added that their hiding places in local governments of Damasak and Mobbar in Borno State had also been completely demolished.
According to a statement released by its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, the terrorists attempted to attack troops of Sector 4 of the MNJTF in Lada, a border town between the Niger Republic and Nigeria, the terrorists then fled across the border into Nigeria.
He continued, that the fleeing terrorists were tracked down and discovered on eight motorcycles, and they were found at two points in Zarri village, some 28 kilometers east of Damasak, and Mala Alide in the Mobbar regions of Borno.
It read, “In line with its collaborative efforts with the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) and the Nigerian Air Force, on 23 April 2024, carried out air interdiction strikes on terrorists’ hideouts in Damasak and Mobbar Local Government Areas (LGA) of Borno State.
“At Lada, the border town between the Niger Republic and Nigeria, the terrorists attempted to attack troops of Sector 4 of the MNJTF. They then fled across the border into Nigeria.”
The eight motorcycles carrying the terrorists who were on the run were eventually tracked to two locations, Mala Alide in Mobbar LGA, Borno State, and Zarri village, which is roughly 28 kilometers east of Damasak.
In the Village, they were seen hibernating, their motorcycles tucked away beneath trees.
The terrorists’ sites were then hit by airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force and the Air Component of OPHK, all while being observed by Niger’s Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) planes.
Later, real-time ISR footage verified that many terrorists had been eliminated and that multiple buildings in the targeted areas had been destroyed.
Such cooperative endeavors have consistently produced positive outcomes on both sides of the border.
“It has also resulted in a decrease in cross-border crimes, such as terrorism, that are committed by criminals who cross borders repeatedly in order to avoid being prosecuted.”
