Baga is a wake up call. I still dont think much has changed. Reportage has certainly become more political, but BHT have been defeated beyond them having capacity to hold down any town for more than 48 hours.

olapluto:
Baga is a wake up call. I still dont think much has changed. Reportage has certainly become more political, but BHT have been defeated beyond them having capacity to hold down any town for more than 48 hours.

the assumption many seem to have is that the terrorist foe is dumb, Boko Haram has its own strategists and "not holding on to territory" is just a part of their strategy. They must be holding some territory though with the frequency of their attacks and the magnitude...
On the other hand Nigerian army is proving itself to be very dumb and unefficient. But we all know that Nigerian army has some very smart and non corrupt officers, the right people are not getting the top positions of the military. Nigerian army should have a policy of blanking out the tribe and religion of it's soldiers. People should get positions based on their quality. And why is the government not asking our ecomog veterans to come and provide training for the new recruits and advise for the commanders ?

The problem with the Nigerian Armed Forces in this CT/COIN saga is the lack of situational awareness. Without reliable and consistent eye in the sky, soldiers will continue to be run ragged in the fog of war.

More eye in the sky and assault platforms needed now more than ever. Also, vehicles and soldiers ought to have identifying symbols visible (infra-red) from the air so friend and foe can be easily identified.

prolog2:
the assumption many seem to have is that the terrorist foe is dumb, Boko Haram has its own strategists and "not holding on to territory" is just a part of their strategy. They must be holding some territory though with the frequency of their attacks and the magnitude...
On the other hand Nigerian army is proving itself to be very dumb and unefficient. But we all know that Nigerian army has some very smart and non corrupt officers, the right people are not getting the top positions of the military. Nigerian army should have a policy of blanking out the tribe and religion of it's soldiers. People should get positions based on their quality. And why is the government not asking our ecomog veterans to come and provide training for the new recruits and advise for the commanders ?

You cannot be correct as per tribe. We have had Yoruba, Edo, Hausa and Kanuri as Theatre Commanders and they all have achieved results, albeit to varying degrees.
We will surely overcome. I remain extremely positive and I am praying for the troops.

rka2:
The problem with the Nigerian Armed Forces in this CT/COIN saga is the lack of situational awareness. Without reliable and consistent eye in the sky, soldiers will continue to be run ragged in the fog of war.

More eye in the sky and assault platforms needed now more than ever. Also, vehicles and soldiers ought to have identifying symbols visible (infra-red) from the air so friend and foe can be easily identified.

Boko Haram doesn't even have an air Force. How come Nigerian military needs so much tools to defeat an ennemy which doesn't even have 10 percent of what Nigerian army currently has ?

olapluto:

You cannot be correct as per tribe. We have had Yoruba, Edo, Hausa and Kanuri as Theatre Commanders and they all have achieved results, albeit to varying degrees.
We will surely overcome. I remain extremely positive and I am praying for the troops.

A Nigerian condemned to death will believe untill the very end that something will happen which would save him. It is not all about the theatre/puppet commander, I am talking about the top positions, the guys who give orders to the theatre commanders, the guys who take real decisions. I miss the days of Gowon and Murtala Mohamed.

prolog2:
Boko Haram doesn't even have an air Force. How come Nigerian military needs so much tools to defeat an ennemy which doesn't even have 10 percent of what Nigerian army currently has ?

It is the nature of COIN warfare. Hit and run is the easiest to carry out with speed and the right tactics and the most difficult to defend against. You will hardly find a Western power engaged in an insurgency without adequate firepower to repel and CAS. If you haven't got an overall picture of the battlefield, you will find it hard to defend against. This is why the only alternative is to withdraw and let the Air Force carry out strikes when they eventually arrive.

rka2:


It is the nature of COIN warfare. Hit and run is the easiest to carry out with speed and the right tactics and the most difficult to defend against. You will hardly find a Western power engaged in an insurgency without adequate firepower to repel and CAS. If you haven't got an overall picture of the battlefield, you will find it hard to defend against. This is why the only alternative is to withdraw and let the Air Force carry out strikes when they eventually arrive.

This looks like an attempt to excuse incompetence. Hit and run was created thousands of years before air Force was created. Yet some people were able to fight against hit-and-runners.

prolog2:
This looks like an attempt to excuse incompetence. Hit and run was created thousands of years before air Force was created. Yet some people were able to fight against hit-and-runners.

Call it what you want, it is the reality. ISWAP/BH are still for now reduced to that. They have freedom of movement across borders and are well concealed. Without adequate investment, this will continue. No shortcuts without major investment in the military no matter who is in charge.

It's not that easy, if it was, the Taliban won't still be around after going toe to toe with a so called Super power for more than a decade, now that super power wants to negotiate, same reason why the war in Columbia lasted over 50yrs or so.
Now I've had people say we shouldn't compare ours with that of the US in Afghanistan, simply because we are in our own backyard, please, what has the Govt done for the people living in those remote areas? As far as they know, they have no Govt. With all the power the US brought to bear, they still couldn't win, even with local troops.
If boko haram have a structure, where they live and hang daily, this war would be over months after it started.
Soldiers have to spread out and defend tons of town and villages, Boko don't have to do any of that.
All they have to do is overwhelm a certain position, and disappear afterwards.
Now where they disappear to is the question lol, how on earth are these people just dispersing without any asset tracking them to their last known location? weird.
That said, our own failure against these guys have been spectacular , it shouldn't be this bad for our troops

prolog2:
This looks like an attempt to excuse incompetence. Hit and run was created thousands of years before air Force was created. Yet some people were able to fight against hit-and-runners.

prolog2:
Boko Haram doesn't even have an air Force. How come Nigerian military needs so much tools to defeat an ennemy which doesn't even have 10 percent of what Nigerian army currently has ?

Mao Tse Tsung will be laughing at this comment

Odunayaw:
Mao Tse Tsung will be laughing at this comment

please don't quote me.

jakeporeshenko:

Brand new from the manufacturer or ? How many years will it take to deliver even 20

Brand new

It's production line is always on for civilian market supply so my best guess 1 year from contract signature , entire 100 within 1 and half year from start of delivery.

Even 6 months possible if demanded , by rerouting civilian ones to military standards, they r simple so not much headache.

Some of the more powerful tools at the command of Bokoharam were devised in the West; has their signature, I mean, for I doubt Bokoharam have the wherewithal. The weapon is divide and rule. The power of Saboteurs in this instance is not in anything physically detrimental to Nigeria soldiers in their missions but the psychological power in the word Saboteur. It is the sowing of thoughts in the heads of the soldiers; thoughts that works at eating away their confidence in the military structure and one another. The terrorist background helpers employ people to flood Nigeria media space with ideas that Nigerian soldiers are betraying one another and commanders setting them up for ambushes. They insult Nigerian soldiers online making it seem that the Nigerian people do not appreciate their soldiers’ efforts and encourage them not to fight because Nigeria is not worth it, etc, etc.

Perhaps Nigeria should turn the tables but it will take time. Two can play the same gamer. We should be working at sowing distrust in their ranks too by deceptions and infiltrators. We could send undercover people working in thire roles as Bokohara/ISWAP to blow up US and French equipment’s in Chad, Cameroon and Niger, make the war dirty

jakeporeshenko:
https://www.facebook.com/1684425015103776/posts/2234542423425363/


NAF AND ALLIED AIR FORCES SUPPORT TROOPS TO REPEL TERRORIST ATTACKS IN BAGA

It may be recalled that the Headquarters 7 Brigade Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) Baga came under attack by members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) on the evening of 26 December 2018. Upon receipt of the information of the attack, the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE immediately dispatched a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform along with 2 Mi-35M Helicopter Gunships to provide support for the troops to repel the attack. The NAF ISR aircraft, which was overhead the troops location as at 7.15pm, also worked closely with a Nigerien Air Force and another allied ISR aircraft that were also in the operation area at the time of the attack. The ISR platforms were in contact with the ground troops and assisted in directing their fire against the terrorists, while the helicopter gunships engaged the terrorists at isolated locations destroying some of their vehicles and neutralizing some fighters.

The ATF also provided support for Nigerian Army (NA) and Nigerian Navy (NN) troops at the Naval Base at Doron Baga, which equally came under attack by ISWAP fighters on the morning of 27 December 2018. The ATF deployed 2 ISR platforms, 2 Helicopter Gunships and 2 Alpha Jet aircraft to provide ISR and close air support to the troops. After establishing communication with the ground troops, the location of the terrorists was ascertained and engaged by the Alpha Jet aircraft. The NAF and allied ISR platforms also spotted 2 ISWAP vehicles heading southwards from Baga and vectored the Alpha Jet aircraft to attack the vehicles, completely destroying one of them and neutralizing the occupants. In order to enhance the quality of coordination between the air and ground operations, the Theatre Commander and Maritime Component Commander were carried onboard the ISR platform during one of the flights. In all, the ATF conducted 20 missions in 21 sorties with a total of about 39 hours flown on 26 and 27 December in support of operations in Baga general area. A short video clip showing highlights of the support provided on 26 and 27 December 2018, along with a Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) video showing parts of the successful attack on the terrorists’ vehicles, is attached.

The NAF appreciates the existing synergy with our gallant surface forces as well as our Regional Allies in adding value to our collective efforts to protect our territory and people.

IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTTW9RA8YlQ

RE: EXCLUSIVE: ‘ABOUT 700 SOLDIERS MISSING, MORE THAN 2,000 TRAPPED’ AS BOKO HARAM TAKES OVER BAGA

Our attention has been drawn to a news story with the headline “EXCLUSIVE: ‘About 700 Soldiers Missing, More Than 2,000 Trapped’ As Boko Haram Takes Over Baga” on Sahara Reporters website alleging that such number of soldiers were trapped and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) could not do anything to extricate them. This is not only untrue but a deliberate mischief on the part of the medium to create erroneous impression about the military and the concerted effort of the ongoing clearing and mop up operations in the general area. Therefore, no one could give accurate details of the encounter yet, as the troops have been reinforced and are busy with pursuit and mopping up operations against the terrorists.

C[b]onsequently, Sahara Reporters is advised to be more responsible in its reportage and always cross check its facts before posting it on its website.
[/b]
The medium’s position is understandable because the reality on the ground does tally with an earlier scripted or expected narrative handed out by Boko Haram terrorists and their sympathizers as was the case in previous instance. We wish to reiterate that we shall keep the public informed of true position of things in the Theatre.

You are please requested to disseminate this information to the public through your medium.

Thank you for your kind cooperation.

SANI KUKASHEKA USMAN
Brigadier General
Director Army Public Relations
28th December 2018

olapluto:
Baga is a wake up call. I still dont think much has changed. Reportage has certainly become more political, but BHT have been defeated beyond them having capacity to hold down any town for more than 48 hours.

For now, I don't think the idea is to hold down territory, they are not interested in that. What they want is the weapons, which they seem to be acquiring with ease from the army and from other sources. The current approach by the terrorists serves two purposes; to strip the army of weapons and morale, and to bolster their own armoury.

When the time comes, and that would be soon, they will launch an all out offensive with intent to dislodge the entire military apparatus in the area and secure territory.

It will be so swift and ruthless that even Abuja will break into sweats. They have the initiative and they seem to know the terrain better. It isn't a complicated strategy, Boko Haram did the same in 2014.

prolog2:
please don't quote me.

okay

EVarn:
For now, I don't think the idea is to hold down territory, they are not interested in that. What they want is the weapons, which they seem to be acquiring with ease from the army and from other sources. The current approach by the terrorists serves two purposes; to strip the army of weapons and morale, and to bolster their own armoury.

When the time comes, and that would be soon, they will launch an all out offensive with intent to dislodge the entire military apparatus in the area and secure territory.

It will be so swift and ruthless that even Abuja will break into sweats. They have the initiative and they seem to know the terrain better. It isn't a complicated strategy, Boko Haram did the same in 2014.

Classic bandits. A little seriousness and coordinated attacks will reverse their gains.
Between now and the elections BHT will get new and improved propaganda spreaders. Willing and ready to attack the army and it's efforts.

olapluto:

Classic bandits. A little seriousness and coordinated attacks will reverse their gains.
Between now and the elections BHT will get new and improved propaganda spreaders. Willing and ready to attack the army and it's efforts.

Yes, I agree. Coordinated counter-offensives by the army will most probably reverse most of the gains made, especially with help from the airforce. But it simply continues the back and forth cycle. They will try again and again. What if by chance ISWAP start digging underground bunkers in the captured territory similar to ISIS?, the impact of the airforce will become redundant.


As for the propaganda part,the military is making it easy for propaganda to germinate. The men on the field have made serious efforts, but when the government and even the top brass are inept, there is little that can be done.

If the boys on field are well trained and supported with all the toys and intel they need, no amount of propaganda will make BH or ISWAP look good.

These Boko boys even captured a BM-21 MLRS from NA. Thank God Naf destroyed it.

jakeporeshenko:
These Boko boys even captured a BM-21 MLRS from NA. Thank God Naf destroyed it.

I think they deliberately abandoned it.

Sizzorkay:

Now where they disappear to is the question lol, how on earth are these people just dispersing without any asset tracking them to their last known location? weird.
That said, our own failure against these guys have been spectacular , it shouldn't be this bad for our troops

Another question is how our boys don't know when those guys are mustering for an attack. I don't want to believe that they are given an I.V and they all come dressed for the prom from their respective houses.

This year has shown that situation awareness is quite poor

Qatar deliver 24 Storm APC to mali

Xbee007:

I think they deliberately abandoned it.

Do you mean BHTs or NA soldiers ? When did that one become a tactic ?

jakeporeshenko:

Do you mean BHTs or NA soldiers ? When did that one become a tactic ?

I meant the terrorists.

olapluto:

Classic bandits. A little seriousness and coordinated attacks will reverse their gains.
Between now and the elections BHT will get new and improved propaganda spreaders. Willing and ready to attack the army and it's efforts.

Boko haram is hitting our army left right and center and all you focus on is "Propaganda efforts"? Fact reminder: our army is losing the war to terrorists in reality. If we were beating them on the ground there will be no propaganda to spread.

jakeporeshenko:
These Boko boys even captured a BM-21 MLRS from NA. Thank God Naf destroyed it.

Thought I was the only one who noticed it.

We cant be loosing hardwares like these to BHT, we don't have enough of them

Nigerien army

MNJTF
Nigerian army with their Cameroonian counterpart, that HMG on the gun truck looks very well taken care of

Off topic, China has exported the 100th wing long UAV

jakeporeshenko:
Off topic, China has exported the 100th wing long UAV

These chinko no dey gree......
Nice pictures.