Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
A joint air and ground operation carried out by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Nigeria Police has led to the death of five commanders of the terrorist group, Ansaru and 12 bandits in Walawa, Yadi and Kurudu Hills in Kaduna State.
The airstrikes followed intelligence reports that the bandits, after driving away the original inhabitants of the area, had continued to operate from the locations with impunity.
An update issued by NAF Headquarters said combat helicopters deployed in the scene destroyed structures housing the terrorists, paving the way for ground troops to smoke them out.
“The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), in a special operation conducted in coordination with the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, has smoked out armed bandits from their camps at Walawa, Yadi and Kuduru Hills areas of Kaduna State, neutralising several of them and destroying some of their logistics supplies in the process.
“This was achieved in a joint air and ground operation executed March 17, 2020, after credible intelligence reports and days of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions revealed that the bandits, after driving away the original inhabitants of the area had continued to operate from the locations with impunity,” it said.
The update, issued by NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said NAF had detailed the combat helicopters to conduct a series of air raids on the bandits’ camps resulting in the destruction of some of the logistics facilities and structures housing them as well as the elimination of several of them.
“The airstrikes also paved the way for ground forces to conduct mop-up operations, supported by NAF combat helicopters. In all, no fewer than five commanders of Ansaru and a dozen bandits were neutralised in the operation.
“The NAF, working in consonance with other security agencies, will sustain its operations to flush the armed bandits out of the North-west zone of the country,” the statement added.
