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The Federal Government of Nigeria has ordered 40 attack and transportation helicopters for the Nigeria Air Force, PRNigeria reported today, in what was described as a determined effort to eliminate terrorism by routing insurgents from their hideouts in parts of the North East and North West once and for all.
PRNigeria said the orders were placed in the United States and Russia, and that some of the aircraft will arrive in the country next month and the others before the end of the year.
The report drew attention to the frustration in themilitary and other security forces about their inability to storm the notorious Sambisa Forest where BokoHaram militants are keeping the abducted Chiboksecondary school girls, and which also serves as operational headquarters of the group.
Text of the report is below.
Anti-Terrorism: 40 Attack, Transport Helicopters Arrive Soon
In a determined effort to eliminate terrorism by routing insurgents from their hideouts in parts of the North East and North West once and for all, the Federal Government has placed purchase orders for 40 helicopters for attacks and transportation from the United States and Russia.
Reliable security sources confided in PRNigeria that some of the aircraft will arrive in the country as early as next month while the remaining will be received certainly before the end of the year to boost the Nigerian Airforce.
Some military and other security forces are currently frustrated about their inability to storm the notorious Sambisa Forest where Boko Haram militants are keeping the abducted Chibok secondary school girls and also serving as operational headquarters of the group.
The reason, according to PRNIgeria findings, is that security operatives are not only aware of the locations of the girls but are also closely monitoring the way that the girls are being moved around but are afraid of the backlash should any harm befall the girls in the course of a forced rescue.
Past incidences during attempts to rescue British and Italian nationals in Sokoto and SETRACO workers which boomerang are the reasons that the security forces have been reluctant in storming the forest and rescuing the girls.
“Oh I wish we could have a consensus of opinion from Nigerians that we should storm the forest and rescue the girls. The day Nigerians decide that enough is enough in one voice, to clear the forest will take less than one week,” a top security source bemoaned.
Already, security forces have succeeded in ridding Zamfara, Kaduna, Jigawa and part of Bauchi states of Fulani cattle rustlers. “These have been completely eliminated”, the source declared.
The officers gave the assurance that although terrorism like any asymmetric wars have proven to be difficult to combat anywhere in the world, the Nigerian security forces would have found it easier to deal with had there not been politicisation of the issue.
Nonetheless, we learnt that Damboa will soon be rescued from terrorists who recently took over the town after killing scores of residents.
A special unit of terrorism forces have just been trained under an international agreement and are ready to be fully deployed to volatile and prone areas of terrorism activities.
“Let me tell you some communities are peculiar in the war on terror as some of their residents supported Boko Haram in the ambush and attacks on our troops. In the past, they gathered at a square to cheer the insurgents whenever a military personnel was captured and was being murdered. Young ones in the town even play with severed heads of victims.
“That is why we always warn Nigerians to report activities of these devils because giving them support is like dining with the devil or simply riding on the back of the tiger as they now turn against them. That was why some soldiers were reluctant to lay down their lives in some communities where innocent troops who were out to protect them were being misled for ambush. The situation is changing now as community leaders and youths are supporting the military offensives.” the source declared.
By PRNigeria
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