Nigerian forces destroy Boko Haram bomb factory in airstrike

Nigerian government forces have killed an unknown number of Boko Haram fighters and destroyed a bomb-making factory of the terror group in an airstrike in the northeastern state of Borno on Wednesday, the air force said.

In a statement, the air force said the bomb-making factory was destroyed in Yiwe forest, located 23 kilometers south of Konduga in the northern state.

The air force said its previous intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance had revealed that the bomb-making facility also served as a hideout for the Boko Haram group, from where they often plan their attacks.

According to the air force, it was from that location that the terror group planned a twin suicide attack in Borno on Nov. 18, in which five people were killed.

The airstrike had sparked a huge flame within the settlement, caused by the cache of explosives stored by Boko Haram, while a few fleeing terrorists were further strafed with cannons and rockets, the air force added.

Nigeria has made considerable gains against the terror group, dislodging its fighters from the Sambisa Forest, the group's largest training camp in the country, early this year.

Boko Haram has been blamed for the death of more than 20,000 people and displacing of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since 2009.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)