The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets Friday successfully intercepted a group of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) moving in an Hilux vehicle mounted with anti-aircraft gun. The armed vehicle was sighted at Talala in Northern Borno by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft on patrol, which then called for strike by combat platform. Following the alert, two Alpha Jets were immediately scrambled to the location.

Whereas the insurgents, on sighting the attacking aircraft, fled for cover under nearby trees, the vehicles were attacked and were completely engulfed in an inferno. Follow-up battle damage assessment (BDA) by NAF ISR aircraft revealed that the air strike was successful as the vehicles were completely destroyed as shown by the enclosed declassified footage of the operation.

Recall that the NAF has intensified ISR missions over the entire theatre of operation in the North East, especially around Northern Borno. The objective is to prevent the remnants of the BHT from regrouping with a view to launching attack on own troops on clearance operations as well as people within the host communities.