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This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, AVM Edward Gabkwet, on Thursday in Abuja.
Gebkwet said that the air interdiction was a sequel to the recent attacks on innocent civilians in the state using IEDs and suicide bombers. He said air strikes were conducted on August 2, following intelligence which revealed the sighting of a possible IED factory and storage area for other logistics.
According to him, for some time now, this IED factory was suspected to have been relocated, first from Gwoza to Timbuktu Triangle in Sambisa Forest and finally berthing at Grazah in the Mandara Hills.
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“Frequent relocation of IED factories has been attributed to the enormous firepower on the terrorists’ enclaves by the combined efforts of the entire security apparatus of the theatre of operation.
“The IED factory location at Grazah had been under surveillance for weeks with various installations observed and activities of armed terrorists in the area found to be consistent with those protecting a strategic location.
“Additionally, two gun trucks were sighted tucked under a large tree near the suspected IED factory.
“These findings thus necessitated the need for an air strike on the location in order to destroy the suspected IED factory and neutralise the terrorists,’’ he said.
Gabkwet said the targets were acquired and effectively destroyed, adding that the thick cloud of smoke that followed the air strikes confirmed the destruction of the IED factory and the gun trucks.
