– The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it carried out the first attack between August 9 and 11
– The NAF reveals that the second attack which led to the death of some of the armed bandits was carried out on August 12
– The security agency also gives details of a third attack carried out in Zamfara state
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on Monday, August 13, announced that through its task force for Operation Diran Mikiya, it had successfully notched up another series of operations against armed bandits in the northwest part of Nigeria.
Giving details in a statement by Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, its spokesperson, NAF said the successes were recorded in recent air interdiction and armed reconnaissance missions conducted from August 9 to 11, 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 August 9, 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 northwest 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,” the statement said.
NAF also said on August 10, 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.
“Accordingly, another helicopter gunship was scrambled to provide additional combat support. Both helicopters effectively engaged the armed bandits and neutralized many of them,” NAF said.
Again, NAF said on August 11, 2018, the ATF conducted another successful attack that neutralized armed bandits at Rugu forest.
“The mission was initiated based on credible intelligence that a location on the fringes of Rugu forest near Ajia, in the eastern part of Zamfara state, was being used by the bandits as a logistics staging area for the supply of arms and ammunition.
“Accordingly, a fighter aircraft and helicopter gunship were dispatched to attack the location within the forest. Upon arrival over the objective, several armed bandits were seen on motorcycles. They were attacked and neutralized in successive strikes by the two aircraft,” the statement said.
TRACK NEWS earlier reported that the Nigerian Air Force destroyed a Boko Haram logistics base in Tumbu Gini, northern axis of Borno state.
The base was destroyed by the Air Force alpha jet aircraft on Friday, April 27.
