Nigerian Troops launched another intensive offensive with NAF aircraft on the camps of Gwaska Dankarami and Alhaji Abdulkarami, two notorious terrorists’ arrowheads, neutralising 43 high profiled terrorist leaders and their fighters.
The onslaught happened on Sunday in the Ilela community, Safana local government area of Katsina State. The terror groups are notorious for unleashing series of banditry, theft, kidnapping and assault against residents of the communities around Safana and Dan Musa Local Government Areas. Earlier, troops had successfully destroyed their fortresses on the outskirts of the community.
According to PRNigeria, “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 the village, 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.
“It was thus evident that footages corroborated earlier Intel from other sources around the location of the rocky cave.
“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,” he said.
“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.
“Several fighters inspired by terrorists’ leaders Dankarami and Abdulkarimu suffered maximum casualties with their logistics and motorcycles demolished during the airstrikes.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed the incident saying that sustained offensives against terrorists would be the new norm until they cease to pose as threats to peace-loving Nigerians.
“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,” Gabkwet added.
