Troops of operation Hadarin Daji have killed 135 armed bandits in an Air raid through its Air Components in Katsina and Zamfara States between the 20th and 22nd May.
In a statement signed and issued by the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche the troops also destroyed several camps of the bandits.
He said the air strikes were undertaken sequel to Human Intelligence reports as well as series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions that led to the identification of the camps.
He mentioned that the camps include Abu Radde Camps 1 and 2 and Dunya in Jibia and DanMusa Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Katsina State as well as Hassan Tagwaye’s Camp; Alhaji Auta’s Camp and Maikomi in Birnin Magaji and Zurmi LGAs of Zamfara State.
Enenche said that the air interdiction missions were undertaken by the Air Component as it dispatched its attack aircraft to the locations in multiple bombing runs, some of which were executed simultaneously.
He said on the 20th May, at the Abu Radde Camps, a set of huts housing one of the notorious bandit leaders was taken out by air strikes with scores of the bandits killed and few seen fleeing with gunshot wounds towards the Dumburum Forest.
He said similar air raids were executed at Hassan Tagwaye’s and Alhaji Auta’s Camps as well as at Maikomi with equally devastating effects.