The vastness of the Sambisa and other forest proved to be a double edged sword. The vast featureless terrain and someitmes thick jungle canopies offered concealment and gaves insurgents enough room to manoveur. Someitmes they even attacked troops head-on.
After getting into a conventional battle with the army insurgents learned to stick to the tactics they know best : hit and runs, ambushes and surprise attacks. The vast topography gave insurgents the ability to blend into their surroundings and conceal operations.
One advantage the Nigerian army has is in terms of firepower from air support and artillery. Insurgents tried to negate this advantage on the battlefield by hitting Nigerian infantry units when it is most advantageous to them.
Often, they will wait until the troops were yards away in the least visible sections of jungle before opening up on them. Causing maximum damages before disappearing. Troops soon learned to steer clear off the forests all together, especially at night. Instead field commanders
will attempt to turn the strength of the enemy (vast uninhabited expanse of land) into its weakness and turn their enclaves into a death trap.
To this end field artillery units took up firing positions around the vicinity of interest with ISR planes crisscrossing the forest.
If spotted by ISR aircafts its game over. ISR aircafts, most notably the ATR-42 and King Air 359i flew round the clock reconnaisance missions. Their job was to search out and locate enemy positions and relay target coordinates to air and ground units.
With no concern for collateral damages and firing from afar, Nigerian troops sacrificed accuracy for sheer volume. Artillery shells rain down with a menacing whistle and turned a field of green earth into a lifeless charred deadzone.
With a kill zone of a 100 metres, each shell was eliminating all life within the size of a football field. They pound their position to soften them up for landing.
Troops who move in for mop up operations in the hopes they will see action are sometimes disappointed, as often times there are no survivors.
..just a desolate wasteland ans raging fire spanning hundreds of metres.
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