Scores Killed As NAF Airstrikes Hit Bandits’ Hideout In Zamfara

The Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji (OPHD) has reportedly eliminated scores of bandits through airstrikes in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Naija News learnt that a significant number of bandits were observed on Tuesday, making their way from a forest in Zamfara State to Kebbi State, with the intention of launching attacks on villages within the region.

According to Channels Television, a high-ranking military official who confirmed the latest airstrikes, said that the bandits became aware of the presence of troops along their intended route, prompting them to retreat back to the Dansadau axis of the Maru Local Government Area in the state.

The Nigerian Air Force airstrikes, however, reportedly engaged and targeted the terrorist group, killing no fewer than a hundred of them on Tuesday and burnt them with their motorcycles while several others sustained various degrees of injuries.

The interment of the deceased terrorists was allegedly carried out in the Sangeko forest in Niger State and Babban Doka in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

When contacted, the spokesperson for Operation Hadarin Daji, Captain Yahaya Ibrahim, told journalists that the exact count of casualties remains undetermined as of the time of filing this report.

Reacting to the development, the Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI) for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, affirmed the airstrikes in Zamfara State. However, he was unable to verify the precise number of casualties.

“Yes, indeed, air strikes were conducted on a number of mobile terrorists, but I can’t confirm numbers to you,” he said in a terse statement to the media platform on Wednesday night.