₦airaland Forum

bidexiii:
#Egypt will become the first operator of the modern version of the Russian Main battle tanks T-90MS with the establishment of local production line.

http://t-digest.ru/2018/12/10/ministr-oboronnoj-promyshlennosti-egipta-poluchil-rossijskij-boevoj-tank-t-90ms/

sconp:
He was probably tired of the situation of things in his country

Fynline:
Coup in Gabon

https://www.nairaland.com/4944589/military-coup-gabon-army-takes

GeneralFarouq:
Though it may be wrong for the military to have gone... They did so with the police, and daily trust wants us to believe they went alone.... Such mischief
In my opinion, there is a justification for such arrest, the press shouldn't have publicised such a vital information as it endangers the entire operation... Those soldiers who leaked the information should be punished...

bidexiii:
CLARIFICATION ON INVITATION OF MEDIA TRUST STAFF BY THE SECURITY AGENCIES

The Nigerian Army wishes to clarify on alleged invasion of Media Trust Headquarters in Abuja and regional office in Maiduguri. We would like to state that soldiers of the Nigerian Army along with elements of Nigeria Police Force and other Security Agencies were indeed at Abuja and Maiduguri offices of the publishing company to invite the staff of the company over its lead story on Sunday Trust publication, which divulged classified military information, thus undermining national security.

In it, the newspaper made disclosed details of planned military operations against the Boko Haram terrorists. The disclosure of classified security information amounts to a breach of national security and run contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Official Secrets Act. It afforded the Boko Haram terrorists prior notice of our plans and giving them early warning to prepare against the Nigerian military, thus sabotaging the planned operations and putting the lives of troops in imminent and clear danger.

We would like to state that the invitation of those responsible for divulging military plans was done with the best of intention in order to make them realise the import of such acts to our national security. We therefore advice all, particularly journalists, not to worry but engage in their responsive reportage and to be professional as the Nigerian Army has no intention of muzzling the press or jeopardising press freedom.

We however, wish to enjoin further that they should eschew jeopardizing national security in their reportage. We would not tolerate situation where a publication would consistently side with terrorists and undermine our National institutions.

We wish to appeal to all, especially the media, to join hands with the Nigerian military and security forces to end terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria. We would like to further assure that the invitation is for further investigation and if need be, all those culpable of jeopardising operations security will be prosecuted by the relevant law enforcement agency.

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

Arabique:
in the first place why will any sane person be praising the decision of a government to buy a largely untested platform for its country. Usually when things like this happen it's because there are some mutually beneficial alliance underneath it. I sincerely don't know why a government that attends all the world's summits and conferences on defense and security cannot afford to secure a decent deal on defense procurement...

The soldiers are dying like flies, people are getting killed and someone is trying to defend the procurement of low quality platforms whose negotiation process alone is already five years in the making... You use 10 years to buy 6 Pakistani jet...
If this is what all our diplomacy can get us that it is safe to say that Nigerian geopolitics is very poor... Very very poor.

Algerian1:
The Yak 130 are used mostly for formation in algeria even if they have good close air support capacities

Pics yak130 Algeria

Algerian1:
Yak 130 . algerian AF

GeneralFarouq:
[quote author=BabaOwen post=7450313
"Sources said at the time of the fight last week, only Nigerian troops were at the base as forces from Chad, Cameroon and Niger had for long withdrawn and were only manning their own sides of the borders'
If this report is correct, then WTF is the use of the MNJTF... Nigeria should just consider the other countries as possible reinforcement.

BabaOwen:
• Assembles thousands of troops, equipment

• ISIS affiliate, ISWAP, on mass recruitment drive

• Group imposes tax on locals

• 10,000 flee Baga, Doron-Baga, Kross Kawwa


The Nigerian military has assembled thousands of troops and equipment in preparation for a massive operation to retake Baga and five other towns in the northern part of Borno State from Boko Haram.

The towns were reportedly seized last week by members of the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP), the faction of Boko Haram that is affiliated to ISIS.

The Abu Mus’ab Albarnawi-led group reportedly took control of Baga, Doron-Baga, Kross Kawwa, Bunduran, Kekeno and Kukawa, after expelling their military defenders.

The Army has denied reports of the falls of the towns but residents fleeing the areas confirmed the presence of Boko Haram fighters on the streets.

The fresh military buildup is coming days after the Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima convened an extra-ordinary security meeting to come up with measures to halt the resurgence of terrorist attacks in the state.

Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that all the three arms of the nation’s armed forces, the army, navy and the air force, would be involved in the major offensive to flush out the insurgents from the areas they have captured.

Credible sources said the Defence Headquarters had gone far in mobilising men and resources ahead of the major onslaught scheduled to take place anytime soon.

“A major operation is on the way but we can’t divulge the details to you,” a source said.

“More troops including ground troops, airmen and naval personnel are being deployed from different formations. They would join those on ground in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states for the operations,” he said.

Another source said many fighting equipment were being put together for onward delivery to the northern part of Borno for the major operation.

“It is going to be a serious operation, I can assure you,” he said.

Residents in parts of northern Borno confirmed mass movement of soldiers and military hardware to the area.



The Borno State Hunters Union, Daily Trust on Sunday reliably learnt, has also deployed a reinforcement of its men to the captured communities to lend a helping hand to the military.

Boko Haram insurgents have stepped up attacks on military locations in the North-East recently, with an attack in November at Metele claiming the lives of over 20 soldiers.

The soldiers were killed when the insurgents overran 157 Battalion in northern Borno. Additional 12 soldiers also lost their lives in separate attacks around that period.

Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Yusuf Tukur Buratai last month attributed the setbacks to psychological warfare by the Boko Haram faction, which he said had instilled fears in both troops and civilians.

Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that apart from attacking military bases, ISWAP has been ambushing military convoys and patrols.

The most recent of such attacks happened in Banki, where two soldiers were killed, when troops of 152 Battalion were ambushed by the insurgents. They seized four Hilux vehicles belonging to an unnamed NGO and three drums of diesel.

It was also gathered that the group, after taking Baga, had been making consistent attempts to overrun Monguno (64km from Baga and 171km to Maiduguri). But they have been repeatedly beaten by the Army’s Special Forces deployed in the town.

Many of the insurgents have lost their lives in the hands of the elite troops defending the town, sources said. They also said that over 200 of them were killed by Nigerien forces as they moved towards the neighbouring country after they were repelled from Monguno.

ISWAP holds Baga, others

The ISWAP is currently in control of many towns, villages and islands in the Nigerian shores of the Lake Chad, even as thousands of fishermen and farmers who found their ways out of the locations are now taking refuge in Maiduguri.

The insurgents, according to locals, initially converged on Doron Naira and Dogon Chukun, two islands along the Lake Chad not far from Baga town, before launching last week’s onslaught on the fishing community.

A fierce battle ensued between ISWAP and Nigerian troops, lasting two days (Wednesday, December 28 to Friday, December 30), leading to the withdrawal of Nigerian soldiers attached to the Multi-National Joint Task Force base in Baga.

Sources said the development led to the fall of major towns and settlements like Baga, Doron-Baga, Kross Kawwa, Bunduran, Kekeno and Kukawa towns.

Sources said at the time of the fight last week, only Nigerian troops were at the base as forces from Chad, Cameroon and Niger had for long withdrawn and were only manning their own sides of the borders.

Besides the MNJTF headquarters, the insurgents also overran a naval fighting base and a marine police base.

A fisherman, Modu Ari, who is now in Maiduguri, told the Daily Trust on Sunday that the departure of troops from many locations in the last few months, including those in Metele, following attacks by Shekau-faction of Boko Haram, left many communities at the mercy of the Abu Mus’ab’s faction of the Boko Haram.

According to him, locals in dozens of communities now live under the control of the Abu Mus’ab’s faction.

“Some of the communities include Gashigar, Zari, Granda, Gudumbari, Kukawa, Arge, Metele, Alagarnon Arewa, Kangarwa, Jilli, Birmari, Mairari, Mainari, Kuroskauwa, Mil 4, Mil 90,” he said.

“But the only difference we are witnessing this time around is that the (Abu Mus’ab’s) Boko Haram fighters kill locals only when they show some form of resistance.

“They asked those who want to leave to leave but told those interested in staying behind not to worry,” he added.

He said the fighters were armed with Anti-Aircraft guns and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs); and that they were in their thousands.

A farmer, Makinta Aisami, who also spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday confirmed what Ari said, but added that locals living in many communities near the Lake

Chad are living in fear and are being extorted by the group.

“They charge taxes,” he said.

He said in communities located far from strong military facilities, Boko Haram fighters were forcing farmers to pay tax before they could be allowed access to their farms while fishermen pay “revenue through their noses” before they were allowed to go with their catch.

He said the only people living in relative peace because of military visibility were those in Monguno, Damasak, Gubio, Gajiram, Kareto and Malumfatori.

‘Missing relations’

Apart from those who fled towards Damasak and Gaidam, thousands escaped to Maiduguri on foot and by road.

They have been thronging the popular Baga Road Market in Maiduguri, sleeping in the open, waiting for the possible arrival of their missing relatives, and partly because they have nowhere to go.

The Borno State Government has been evacuating them since last Monday to the Teachers Village IDP camp.

Daily Trust on Sunday observed, however, that while a substantial number of them would not agree to be evacuated, many were moving back to Baga, banking on a said promise by Boko Haram that they would not be harmed when they return to their captured territory.

“Over the last one week, transport fare to Monguno that used to be N1,000 increased to N5,000 per passenger, and to charter a car will cost between N25,000 and N30,000, instead of the N5,000 it used to be,” a commercial car driver, Mohammed Bukar, told Daily Trust on Sunday.

“Initially, you could not find more than 500 residents remaining in Baga, Mile 4 and Doro,” a leading member of the Borno State CJTF, working under the Multinational Joint Task Force, (MNJTF), told Daily Trust on Sunday on Friday, explaining, “Soldiers had themselves fled from the communities …when the boys (Boko Haram) came and invaded Baga. They simply seized a deserted military barracks, 8 Div Headquarters.

“As I am speaking to you now, thousands of our returnees, including my father and mother and many of my own family members and friends are still missing in the bush between the Lake Chad and Maiduguri,” Muhammad Bukar from Kangarwa near Baga, said.

ISWAP recruiting youths

A community leader in northern Borno who does not want his name mentioned, said the insurgents were recruiting young people.

“They are seriously working on the psychology of our people,” he said.

“They no longer kill our people, especially the youths, instead, they show them they are better in terms of taking care of them, and to me this is very dangerous.

“Of course, they collect taxes from sales of produce and fish but they no longer forcefully collect the goods and with this approach, they are getting some sort of sympathies, tactically winning the love of our children,” he said.

“The terrorists have the advantage of knowledge of the environment and they can go to Cameroon, Chad, or Niger if the heat becomes unbearable for them, hence the need for serious cooperation between all the countries in the area of operation to stop the menace,” he added.

The forces behind ISWAP

In August, 2016, ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi put to an end, the seven years of Abubakar Shekau’s leadership in Nigeria and the West African Province.

In his stead, he anointed Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, whose real name is Habib. He is the son of the late Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram.

The Boko Haram under Shekau had earlier in March, 2015 paid allegiance to ISIS’s proclaimed caliphate under Al-Baghdadi.

When he was removed as leader, Shekau on August 4, 2016, released an audio in which he described the breakaway leader, Al Barnawi as heretic. Soon after the new development, sporadic fighting broke out between the two factions, one headed by Shekau and the other by Al-Barnawi who has the support of Mamman Nur.

Findings by our reporter at the time revealed that while the ISIS-backed Al-Barnawi had an upper hand in northern part of Borno State, Shekau remained dominant in the central and southern parts of the state, where the large swathe of the Sambisa forest is located.

With the support of Mamman Nur, Albarnawi achieved a lot in consolidating his gains in northern Borno by trailing and killing “Shekau’s boys” in places like Monguno, Kukawa, Damasak, Abadam, Marte and Kala-Balge.

On the other hand, Shekau remained “strong” in villages in Gwoza, Damboa and Chibok, which are all not far from the Sambisa forest.

Mamman had been on the wanted list of the United States with ransom placed on his head.

Nur was killed around August, 2018, by forces close to Al Barnawi over alleged “selfish” handling of millions of money in hard currencies allegedly given to him as ransom for the release of captives.

Before his death, Nur was seen as ISIS linkman in Nigeria, but fronting Al-Barnawi as leader, in order to retain the loyalty of the original supporters of Mohammed Yusuf.

With Nur’s death, the Albarnawi faction becomes more vicious in attacking military formations and ambitious in capturing more communities.

Beyond northern Borno, Al Barnawi’s fighters are now inching towards central and southern part of Borno, launching attacks in places like Mainok, Jakana and other locations along Maiduguri-Damaturu road.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/military-prepares-massive-operation-to-retake-baga-others.html

RECONGUY:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nheamuGkt9c

Maduawuchukwu:
Pls are they still in existence?

Henry240:
If you don't have evidence to compare one against the other, why propagate the claim?

Henry240:
Yeah, where's the evidence?

Henry240:
It clearly says the engine is outsourced.

The JF-17 is a Chinese fighter jet.

Henry240:
Can you show evidence that the JF-17 cannot be refuelled and rearmed in 10 minutes?

Henry240:
What evidence do you have to support the Gripen gas a better data-link than the JF-17?

Henry240:
Volvo-Flygmotor RM12—a derivative of the F/A-18’s General Electric F404-GE-400. It’s a myth that Sweden developed the Gripen entirely on its own, a lot of the technologies like the engine, were outsourced to keep costs down

Cannonleo:
72 Mobile Strike Force

Maduawuchukwu:
Don't mind that man. He and the person on the pics have an issue and he decided to tarnish him. They both are from Ashawo thread In sexuality section

Henry240:
Before i proceed, can you post the evidence that supports your claim that the Gripen gas superior avionics over the JF-17?

The Gripen C/D engine is a license produced F-18’s General Electric F404-GE-400.

Henry240:
If you're talking about the Gripen E/F, it's a better aircraft than the JF-17 Block II.

The Gripen C/D and the JF-17 thunder are the same type of aircraft, similar weight class and similar capabilities. The JF-17 has a better combat range than the C/D.

The C/D only has a slightly better payload than the JF-17 Block II.

The Gripen uses an American engine, so the Americans would veto any sale.

The Gripen C/D is not better than the JF-17 Block II.

You need to conduct better research.

GabrielYulaw:
I think you just spoke my mind I remember saying we should buy the Sukhoi 34 and lots of them and a Nairalander rebuked me saying we don't have the funds. lol. This insurgency costs us tens of billions of dollars yearly both directly and indirectly. So no amount is too big to spend buying the right armaments to properly fight it.

Covert1:
I like this. Having a coalition is always a plus. But we must begin at home. We can't be teeing up with Egypt and Algeria that fly Rafales and Sukhois with the F-7Ni.
Our defence spending smacks of an unserious nation. A good point but we must bring something to the table.

Nigeria is a huge country and if it arms adequately with a defence budget of 5 billion dollars or more it would be enough deterrent to keep anyone from fighting us.

Covert1:
And did you see where I mentioned "acting our size"!. How much deposit of crude oil did Yoweri Kaguta Museveni find before he started buying Su-30 jets. Serious countries or sorry serious leaders don't joke with their national sovereignty, people and natural resources. If you took the pains to tell us the high value resources in the Chad basin couldn't you also imagine that without commensurate defence spending in training of men and purchase of equipment hostile forces may seek to mine it for revenues. This has been the way of the world from time immemorial -- men fight wars for land and resources even water. Today they fight it in more sophisticated ways. Do you think ISWAP is fighting only for religious gains. No one goes to war for nothing or start a revolution in a non-viable economic space. In formulating defence policies geo-strategic countries commonly adopt a policy of deterrence by arming adequately, funding R & D and churning out highly trained forces that makes any would be aggressor or proxy think twice of upsetting the status quo. Why won't minion countries or BHT challenge the state. They know you have the resources but not the muscle in terms of modern armaments to stop them. Right now what Nigeria is doing is a joke for a country its size. BHTs resurgence clearly shows it is again an existential threat to the fatherland and by now we shouldn't be talking of 1 billion dollars but a minimum start-up of 5 billion dollars a year to have a modern military. Could you imagine France is faced with this threat and they would be spending peanuts to prosecute it. Right now we are to a large degree an anaemic fighting force tasked to fight a modern war. Look at us running around in soft skinned technicals.

BHT knows how many planes you have and types and what times they are up in the air therefore exploiting existing gaps. You think it's strange they effectively overrun bases. We should have right now a 24 hour RECCE overflight covering every square inch of the north-east, Chad, Niger & Cameroon and calling in airstrikes. ISWAP couldn't even lift a finger when you do that. Alas! We can't. And without exporting this war to Chad up into southern Libya we should stop talking of ending this war. If Nigeria is truly the giant it claims it is it should be able and rightly so to pacify Libya the conduit and source of all our woes today. Take the fight to the enemy which is the best form of defence. And the core benefit of franchising this war is that Nigerian citizens cease being the casualties of this war which is the first and major responsibility of any power.

SternProphet:
This is stupid suggestion.
Eeben cannot stop Boko Haram and he himself has said so. You need to think hard about issues before making childish suggestions.
First of all, there are solutions that are worse than the problem - nobody can pay someone to sleep with his wife for instance. You can, i suppose from this stupid idea you are espousing. Some of upu guys have been brought up with trader mentality, you think money buys everything. That is dumb and believe me it's a serious limitation on your life.

Eeben cannot stop ISWAP/Boko Haram. He himself is above 60 and has been realistic and honest about what his PMC does. He is not as duncey has some of you posting without thinking. He has mostly suggested TRAINING contracts with MOD. Since then our Army, Navy and Air force personnel have gotten cheaper more effective training from US, UK, Germany, Russia and Pakistan. There is nothing Eeben Barlow will bring.
What we need is discipline and professionalism in the field at FOBs. We need skilled majors, colonels and Brigadiers who are aware of their environment and can call on resources when they know ISWAP is planning something.
Boko Haram/ISWAP motivation is ideological, religious, tenacious.
Only Nigerians will fight them, expel them from Nigeria and do so for the 50 years or more that we require to prevent them coming up again.

By then, Eeben Barlow would have died and his company maybe liquidated then. It is a threat that will last decades.
In case you are so ignorant that You think it will end with weapins and tactics alone. IT WON'T.
ISIS is not dead. They moved from Syria to Afghanistan and Libya and they are coming south to Nigeria.

You don't fight a battle or two battles and say you have lost the war and start begging some old S.African to help you OR you win some battles and relax like the stupid Buratai and his team did.

komekn:
We could eat our shame and pride and call the Chadeans to help clear our mess.