The Nigerian Air Force yesterday deployed
troops and fighter jets to Gambia, as part of the Economic Community of West
Africa (ECOWAS) mandate to enforce the December 1, 2016 election result in that
country.
This is just as Senegal’s forces
at the Gambian border gave Yahya Jammeh a midnight ultimatum to relinquish
power.
The Air Force contingent
for the Gambia operation were air lifted from the 117 Air Combat Training Group
Kainji, in Niger state, to be on standby in Dakar, Senegal.
The troops airlifted in an
Hercules C-130 transport plane included; Combat Support Group, Technicians,
Special Forces, and Medical personnel.
Other platforms also deployed to
the Gambia are: fighter jets, helicopters gunships, and a Hercules C-130 among
others.
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air
Marshal Sadique Abubakar while addressing the troops tasked them to be of
professional conduct as they go about their duties.
Speaking to Journalists, Abubakar
said: “They have been given the task which is very well defined, and we have
put together all the air assets that we think are necessary to ensure that we
are able to successfully conduct this operation and that is what we have on
ground here.”
He said: “What we have here are
men that are highly trained, highly skilled, they know their job and they know
their task.”
It was
gathered that Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal are contributing troops with Dakar
as the anchor point where they would be on standby until the diplomatic options
to oust Yahya Jammeh are exhausted.
Tags
Politics