The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday deployed an additional 32 special forces to support Operation Safe Haven being executed by the military to restore normalcy in southern Kaduna.
The Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Air Training Command Kaduna, AVM Musa Mukhtar told newsmen in Kaduna that the deployment was in response to the directive of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, for NAF to support the ongoing operation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the troops deployed two officers, 28 soldiers and two medical staff.
Mukhtar said: “We are part of the support element going to Southern Kaduna to support the operation safe haven from the Nigerian airforce special forces.
“I call on the troops to be disciplined, remain focused and respect human rights as they go about their operations.
“We have Operation Thunder Strike, which is domiciled in Kaduna to take care of the North West axis, this means the airpower will be originated from there.
“We also intend to carry out our civil-military relation hopefully by next week and send a medical team from our hospitals.”
Mukhtar noted that the operation would be as long as necessary, adding that there was already a contingent of the Defence Special Forces deployed to Southern Kaduna, to restore peace in the area.
“We also have an air component Commander to coordinate the airpower aspect,” he added.
The AOC called on the residents of southern Kaduna to avail the troops all necessary and genuine information that will assist in the successful execution of the operation.
“We will process the information and find out its true nature and then act,” he assured.
Mukhtar also called on residents to give the military all the necessary cooperation, saying “we are there to assist the civil populace and not to harm them.”
