NAF Pounds Sambisa, Eliminates Top Terrorist Commanders
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced the neutralisation of several senior terrorist commanders following a precision airstrike on insurgent strongholds in the Sambisa axis of Borno State.
In a statement issued today the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the operation was carried out on February 28 under the Joint Task Force of Operation Hadin Kai.
According to the statement, the early morning Air Interdiction mission targeted the Yuwe general area of the Sambisa forest after confirmatory Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) identified structures being used as “terrorist commanders’ hideouts and logistics warehouses.”
“Acting with precision and overwhelming force, NAF strike elements successfully acquired and engaged the validated targets, delivering accurate air strikes that effectively dismantled critical terrorist infrastructure,” the statement said.
NAF said post-strike assessments, corroborated by “credible intelligence sources,” confirmed the neutralisation of “several high-value terrorist operatives, including senior commanders and fighters actively coordinating hostile activities within the theatre.”
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The Air Force added that the strikes significantly disrupted the terrorists’ command-and-control structure and degraded their logistics network, thereby constraining their operational capabilities in the region.
PRNigeria reports that Sambisa forest has long served as a strategic enclave for insurgent groups operating in the North-East, providing cover for planning, training and storage of weapons. Air operations in the axis have remained a key component of the military’s counterinsurgency strategy.
The statement further disclosed that NAF has maintained sustained ISR presence over the area following the strike “to identify and engage additional verified targets,” keeping what it described as “relentless pressure on fleeing and regrouping elements.”
Commenting on the operation, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, commended the aircrew and supporting personnel for their professionalism and combat efficiency.
“The Nigerian Air Force will continue to project decisive air power in close synergy with ground forces until every identified terrorist enclave is dismantled,” Aneke was quoted as saying. “We remain committed to sustaining aggressive, intelligence-led operations that protect our nation and restore enduring peace.”
While the Air Force did not provide specific casualty figures, it emphasised that the operation targeted senior figures within the insurgent hierarchy rather than low-level fighters alone — a move analysts say is aimed at weakening operational coordination within terrorist networks.
By PRNigeria
