NAF neutralise 43 terrorists in Katsina forest, kill bandits’ leaders

Forty-three terrorists have been killed by the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) airstrkes which pounded a camp belonging to a notorious bandit leader known as Gwaska Dankarami, located in a forest in Katsina State.

In the raid, it was gathered that the bandit leader and some of his high profile commanders and foot soldiers were killed in the airstrikes.

A statement by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Edward Gabkwet, who confirmed the development on Wednesday, said the sustained airstrikes which took place from Monday into the early hours of Tuesday at the bandits’ camp in Illela Community of the state, “saw several terrorists under the command of Gwaska Dankarami and Alhaji Abdulkarami neutralized.”

“The two notorious terrorists leaders were involved in series of attacks around Safana and Dan Musa Local Government Areas of Katsina State,” Gabkwet said.

“Before the airstrikes, NAF team destroyed the rocky cave at the outskirts of Ilela Village providing shield to the terrorrists after unleashing terror on citizens or communities.

“Upon receiving reports of incessant terrorists’ attacks on villages around Safana LGA, especially in Ilela Village, where about 12 persons were recently killed and others chased out of their villages, the air component of Operation Hadarin Daji deployed Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft to unravel the modus operandi of the terrorists.

“Footages by the ISR platform revealed significant terrorists’ activities in some rocky hills, about 1.5 Km Southwest of Ilela and South of Rubu Villages.

“Further scrutiny of the footage revealed armed terrorists on 19 motorcycles riding along multiple tracks leading into a cave within the rocky hills.

“Accordingly, the Air Component of OPHD dispatched a fighter jet and helicopter gunship in an air interdiction mission to exterminate and infuse maximum casualty on the bandits as well as destroy their enclaves.

“The aircraft engaged fleeing terrorists on motorcycles with bombs in rocky enclaves. At least 43 dead bodies of terrorists were counted within the vicinity including that of Alhaji Shingy, a brother of killed bandit leader Auta.

Read also: NAF kills 46 terrorists as fighter jets bombard hideout of kidnap kingpin, Ali Kwaja

“The airtrikes against terrorist elements will continue for as long as they continue to pose threats to peace-loving Nigerians and with the level of coordination and cooperation among the services and other security agencies, Nigerians should not be surprised with the high level of successes being recorded through precision strikes aimed at eliminating key terrorists and their foot soldiers.

“We assure Nigerians of the commitment of the air and land components as well as other security agencies towards restoring normalcy in the Northwest and Northeast Regions,” Gabkwet said.

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