Odita Sunday 
By Odita Sunday
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has neutralised scores of terrorists and destroyed their enclave during a precision air operation at METELE in the Northern Tumbuns area of the Lake Chad Basin.
The operation, conducted in the early hours of June 10 under the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI, followed intelligence reports indicating the presence of a senior terrorist commander and heightened terrorist activities in the area.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF Headquarters, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
According to him, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions confirmed the existence of terrorist hideouts and movements within the target location before the operation was authorised.
“Acting on the intelligence, NAF air assets engaged the identified targets with precision,” the statement said.
It added that aircrew observed substantial movement around concealed structures on arrival at the location, confirming the presence of terrorists before the strikes were executed.
The statement further revealed that Battle Damage Assessment conducted after the mission confirmed the destruction of the enclave and the killing of scores of terrorists.
Commenting on the operation, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, praised the personnel who participated in the mission and reiterated the force’s resolve to sustain offensive operations against terrorist groups.
“We will continue to leverage our air power capabilities to locate, strike, and destroy terrorist targets wherever they are found. The Nigerian Air Force remains resolute in denying terrorists freedom of action and ensuring they have no safe haven within our sovereign territory,” Aneke said.
The Air Force said the operation forms part of ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and deny insurgents operational space in the Lake Chad region.
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