New NAF copter gunship hits target in battle

Th e Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has continued to intensify clearance operations in the Northeast region. On May21, the Nigerian Air Force Component of Operation Lafi ya Dole conducted an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission in Parisu, Borno state and uncovered the ISR mission. Also uncovered were a large structure with solar panels and fl ags suspected to harbour high valued Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) alongside other similar BHT structures hidden under trees.

Accordingly, on May22, 2017, two attack helicopters; the Mi-17 and the newly inducted day and night, all weather gunship, Mi-35M Super Hind were scrambled to conduct strikes on the location in succession. Air Commodore, Director of Public Relations and Information NAF, Olatokunbo Adesanya, said “subsequent battle damage assessment revealed that several structures in the target area were engulfed in fi re as a result of the strikes and a few BHT survivors were seen scampering from the location”. In another development, NAF helicopter gunships have also destroyed nine hidden barges with stolen oil products in several creeks within the Niger Delta under the framework of Operation DELTA SAFE. Th e destruction of the barges was “aimed at making the stealing of the nation’s oil products futile, dangerous and unattractive”.

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