The Nigerian Air Force says it has been able to identify possible locations of the abducted Chibok girls.
The Director of Public Relations at the Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, told Channels Television that the Air Force is abstaining from attacking the area to make sure that the girls are not hit.
He explained that the latest aerial bombardment of Sambisa forest had been aimed at the logistics base of the Boko Haram sect and not areas where the Chibok girls could be located.
“We have no fears that the girls are not there because that particular location has been under surveillance for quite a while and we suspected maybe its a kind of ammunition depot or maybe a workshop that they are using as their logistics place.
“Once you take off the logistics base, of course you gradually weaken the resolve of the enemy to be able to prosecute any campaign,” he said.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa also explained some of the tactics used by the Air Force to locate the girls.
He said, ” The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) has become a force multiplier for us because its cheaper to run these platforms, you are not putting men there (and) the risk of losing human beings is greatly reduced.
“Again the UAVs have the capability to be airborne for up to eleven hours and its quite cheap to maintain. So, we have been able to employ the UAV to a great extent to carry out reconnaissance and surveillance basically for intelligence gathering on the activities of the Boko Haram.”
He said that the UAVs have also helped the Air Force to understand the terrorists’ pattern of movement and “how to be able to counter them should they want to strike or spring any surprise”.
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