The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said on Monday that several armed bandits were killed at Sububu Forest, Birni Magaji and Rugu Forest in Zamfara State following air strikes and helicopter gunship attacks on their hideouts.
The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said in a statement that the air interdictions and reconnaissance missions against the bandits were carried out in quick succession between August 9 and 11.
He said some of the bandits were neutralized quickly as they were discovered to be advancing for attack on Birni Magaji village with automatic weapons mounted on motorcycles.
The statement read: “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Air Task Force (ATF) for OPERATION DIRAN MIKIYA has notched up another successful operations against armed bandits in the North West part of the country.
“The successes were recorded in recent air interdiction and armed reconnaissance missions conducted from 9 to 11 August 2018, resulting in the neutralization of armed bandits in Sububu Forest, Birnin Magaji and Rugu Forest in Zamfara State.
“The attack at Sububu Forest was executed on the afternoon of 9 August 2018 following the discovery of a bandits’ hideout within the forest. Earlier in the morning on the same day, the ATF had conducted a coordinated clearance operation involving NAF Special Forces at a suspected armed bandits’ camp on the outskirts of Galadi in the North West of Zamfara State.
“During this operation, the bandits were discovered to have vacated the camp and dispersed into the nearby Sububu Forest. Consequently, the ATF dispatched a combat aircraft for armed reconnaissance to seek out and destroy the bandits. The aircraft subsequently spotted a large number of bandits within the forest and neutralized them.
“Similarly, on 10 August 2018, a combat helicopter on a reconnaissance mission spotted a group of bandits, armed with automatic weapons and mounted on motorcycles, at a location about 6km Northeast of Birnin Magaji in the Eastern part of Zamfara State. From all indications, the armed bandits were advancing for an attack on Birnin Magaji.”
THE NATION
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