Air strikes kill scores of bandits in Katsina forest

The Defence Headquarters says the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji has eliminated scores of bandits in air raids on their camps at Birnin Kogo and Dunya forests in Katsina State.

Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, in a statement on Friday said the air attacks were launched on Nov. 23 and November 24.

He said the air raids were conducted based on intelligence reports indicating that the locations were being used by the terrorists-affiliated bandits to store their sophisticated weapons and plan attacks.

According to him, the aerial surveillance missions also established pattern-of-life evidence of the presence of black attire-wearing terrorists at the two locations.

He said that an appropriate force package of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets and helicopter gunships were subsequently dispatched to engage the locations.

According to him, intelligence sources later confirmed that no fewer than 37 bandits were neutralised at Dunya while many more were killed at Birnin Kogo.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies remain resolute in the fight against banditry and other sundry crimes and will not relent until normalcy is restored to all troubled zones of the country,” he said.