The Nigerian Air Force says it has killed dozens of bandits in their hideout near Doumbourou Hill in Zamfara State.
In a statement on Friday by NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, the thieves were neutralised Operation Diran Mikiya by the Air Task Force.
“The attack was executed yesterday, 2 January 2019, following human intelligence (HUMINT) reports, which were later confirmed by Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, indicating that a large number of bandits, armed with high calibre weapons, regularly assemble at a compound around the foot of the Hill before going out on operations,” he said.
Daramola explained that the helicopters strafed the target area in successive waves of attack, with the first wave causing some damage to the structures and neutralizing some of their fighters.
He stated that the ATF scrambled 2 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) attack helicopters, supported by an ISR platform, to engage the bandits and destroy their compound.
“The second wave was sequenced to engage the armed bandits as they re-emerged out of their hiding places, thus inflicting further fatalities on them. Credible HUMINT sources later revealed that the leader of the group was amongst those killed during the attack,” he added.
According to the NAF spokesman, the ATF will continue to work in close coordination with surface forces and other security agencies.
This, he stated, was to conduct reconnaissance and air interdiction missions with a view to restoring normalcy to the affected States in the Northwest.
