The Nigerian Army has confirmed a significant operational success following a United States military-led airstrike on Lakurawa insurgent hideouts in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The US military last Thursday launched at least 12 Tomahawk missiles targeting Lakurawa terrorist positions in parts of the state, sparking public debate over the effectiveness of the operation.

While some security analysts questioned the impact of the strike, claiming the missiles may have hit non-strategic locations, the Army has dismissed such claims.

In a statement on Monday, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele, said several terrorist camps were successfully destroyed during the operation.

According to her, troops of Combat Intelligence Battalion VII, acting on credible intelligence on terrorist movements along the Kaurau axis, coordinated with United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) to strike identified camps within the Bauni Forest, near Waria and Alkassim villages, on December 25.

She added that follow-up patrols conducted on December 26 confirmed extensive damage to the insurgents’ positions, noting that the strikes significantly degraded the operational capacity of the Lakurawa terrorists.