DHQ Reacts to Public Debate Over US Nigeria Joint Airstrike

DHQ Reacts to Public Debate Over US Nigeria Joint Airstrike
Military confirms intelligence backed presence of terrorists
Public urged to support security agencies with information

The Defence Headquarters has said that the battle damage assessment of recent United States airstrikes conducted in conjunction with Nigerian forces is still ongoing.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists in Abuja. He said the military would release its findings once the assessment process is concluded.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that responding to questions on the effectiveness of the strikes, Onoja said the assessment was a standard post operation procedure.

“On the United States strikes in conjunction with Nigerian forces, there is a process of battle damage assessment. We are still in that process, and I can assure you that once that is completed, we will communicate to the public all our observations,” he said.

His clarification followed public debate over whether the joint airstrikes achieved their intended objectives.

Speaking on the presence of terrorists at the bombed locations, Onoja confirmed that intelligence reports had established their presence in the areas before the operation.

“They have confirmed their presence in those areas. The fact that it was not publicised is sometimes for operational security reasons,” he stated.

The defence spokesman linked the movement of terrorists to the proximity of Sokoto State to the Sahel region and stressed that the operation was intelligence led.

Onoja said the military was closely monitoring the movement of terrorists and coordinating with field commanders to prevent them from infiltrating nearby communities.

“We are monitoring them, and we are doing the necessary things, communicating with all the force commanders… so that they will prevent them from assimilating into the community and causing further havoc,” he said.

He also urged civilians to support security agencies with credible information, describing the approach as a whole of society strategy.

“The truth is that security or insecurity can only be addressed through the cooperation of every member of society,” Onoja added.

Addressing criticism of the joint operation, he said the Armed Forces would not be distracted by public opinions expressed in the media.

“It is not for the Armed Forces to focus on what some people in society do not agree with in our activities. Ours is to focus on our kinetic operations,” he stated.

Onoja further warned members of the public against picking up ammunition fragments or materials from the sites of the airstrikes, urging them to hand such items over to security agencies.

“We don’t expect anybody to take away those materials… they should return them to the military or security divisions so that we can disarm those things before they cause greater damage,” he warned.