The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has destroyed a major Boko Haram hideout in Sambisa Forest, Borno State, in a precision strike that killed numerous insurgents and crippled their command and logistics networks.

NAF spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame confirmed the operation, which targeted Arra in Sambisa as part of Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai. The raid followed weeks of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions tracking terrorist movements after the October 17 ambush at Kashomri that eventually claimed the life of a brigade commander and several soldiers.

Persistent surveillance identified active structures at Arra, prompting NAF jets to execute coordinated passes that obliterated the site. Among the destroyed assets were the “Venus” series tactical unmanned attack aircraft and strategic reconnaissance drones. Ejodame praised the mission’s “innovative performance” and “excellent combat effectiveness,” crediting directives from the Chief of the Air Staff for the breakthrough. “The strike achieved its intended effect... significantly degrading the terrorists’ operational capabilities,” he said.

The operation builds on NAF’s intensified campaign against Boko Haram and ISWAP factions, which have experimented with suicide drones and benefitted from foreign technology transfers. Sambisa Forest, a vast northeastern stronghold, remains a key base for insurgents despite repeated ground offensives.

No civilian casualties were reported, and NAF pledged sustained pressure to ensure lasting peace in the region.