The Nigerian military has commenced an operation in the
dreaded Sambisa Forest to flush out members of the Boko
Haram insurgents.
The Sambisa forest is widely speculated to be host to some of
the training camps and facilities of the Boko Haram
insurgents in the North East.
It was learnt that the military high command decided to carry
out intensified operation in the vast forest in bid to achieve
the task of making the North East safe for the elections.
It was gathered that Nigerian Air Force pilots started the raid
on the forest on Monday and simultaneous surveillance
activities and raids are on-going.
The source said that a massive ground operation would follow
the aerial operations over the Sambisa.
The source did not give details of the on-going operation.
“The military has started the operation in the Sambisa Forest;
the operation started on Monday.
“For now there is no specific cases of arrest, we don’t have
that information now. The Air Force has been operating in the
area since Monday. It is after that that the ground troops who
are on red alert would move in.
“Also, a source close to a security office strategic to the
operations of the Federal Government said on Wednesday that
a lot of activities were going on simultaneously in the
Sambisa area and other parts of the North East.” The source
said
It was said that the military had achieved a reduction in the
number of local government areas under the control of the
Boko Haram in the North East.
It was gathered that the military authorities are combing the
Sambisa Forest because of intelligence reports that some of
the insurgents who were dislodged from some of the
communities were withdrawing into the forest.
Our correspondent could not get the Director, Defence
Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, to comment on the
invasion of the Sambisa forest as the calls to his mobile
telephone did not connect.
