Boko Haram in disarray, fighters stranded – MNJTF
The Multinational Joint Task Force in Chad claims the leaders of Boko Haram are currently overwhelmed and the terrorist group in disarray, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The Chief of Military Public Information of the MNJTF, Col Timothy Antigha, said this in a statement on Tuesday.
Antigha said the group was overwhelmed by the sustained air and land attacks on them in the Lake Chad region by the task force.
He also said the Boko Haram fighters captured divulged that “the morale and fighting spirit of the group’s fighters is very low”.
Antigha quoted ex-fighters as saying there was growing insecurity and inability to get food, medicine and ammunition to the fighters stranded on the islands because of the MNJTF’s onslaught against the insurgent group.
The spokesman said an integral part of the operation was a series of “coordinated day and night Human Intelligence as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions’’.
He said the missions were being conducted by the air forces of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.
Antigha explained that this led to devastating air interdiction which destroyed Boko Haram logistic facilities and fighters in Tumbum, Gini, Abadam, Arege, Tumbun rego and Dagaya between March 7 and 11.
He added that in the last four weeks of the operation, 70 Boko Haram vehicles, mostly gun trucks and facilities such as fuel dumps, weapons and ammunition were destroyed.
He said sources confirmed that internal crisis led to a change in the Boko Haram leadership on March 3.
Antigha said the Islamic State West Africa Province sacked Boko Haram’s factional chief, Abu Mus’ab Al Barnawi, and replaced him by Abu Umar Al Barnawi.
According to him, the frequent execution of Boko Haram commanders and fighters indicates the effectiveness of Operation Yancin Tafki.
Punchng
