In a bid to finally end the deadly Boko Haram insurgency in three monthNigerian Air Force has deployed additional combat platforms to north east of the country.
Chengdu F-7 fighters have been deployed to fight Boko haram by Nigerian Air Force.
It should be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had on August 13 tasked the new service chiefs to end the Boko Haram terrorists in three months.
There had been reports that the faction of the insurgents has already reached the current government for peace talks.
Chad’s president Idriss Déby declared recently that Boko Haram has been “decapitated,” with a new chief replacing Abubakar Shekau, the group’s previous leader.
Nigerian soldiers are seen near Supa Puma Combat Support helicopter in the north-est Nigeria.
The current counter-insurgency operation is called ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’.
Dele Alonge, the spokesman for the Air Force, said in a statement on August 13, Thursday that the new deployment came on the heel of the recent visit of the Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, chief of the air staff, to the operational areas.
Nigerian soldiers that are fighting against the deadly Boko Haram sect.
According to the statement the newly deployed platforms are the F-7Ni fighter aircraft, Mi-24/35 attack helicopters, Agusta 109 LUH, Supa Puma Combat Support helicopter and ATR-42 surveillance aircraft, which previously had been away for planned maintenance.
Alonge said: “The provision of additional platforms in the North-East is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate to bring an end to insurgency in the North-East.”
ATR-42 surveillance aircraft
More than 600 people have been killed in attacks and bombings by the terrorists since the president took office on 29 May, promising to crush the sect.
At the start of the year Boko Haram a huge territory, but the army has received success in reclaiming a big part of it.
The army said it had pushed the group from most of that area in the past few months with the help of troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon, but there had been a recent resurgence in militant attacks.
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