Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The Nigerian Air Force yesterday confirmed that military air strikes killed terror kingpin, Ali Dogo, a.k.a Yellow, and 30 of his fighters.
It said the air interdiction was conducted by the air component of Operation Whirl Punch.
It was gathered that Yellow and his fighters had fled Niger State to one Alhaji Gwarzo’s house at Yadi in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State for safety following sustained bombardment of his location in Niger State. “Unfortunately for Yellow and his fighters, while they were having a meeting, NAF aircraft struck Alhaji Gwarzo’s house leaving everybody in the building dead including Yellow,” a military source said.
Similar strikes were also carried out same day targeted at terrorists in a location in the North-west of Mando in Kaduna.
“Following credible intelligence of terrorists’ leaders and their foot soldiers converging under tree covers at the location for a meeting, the location was struck with several terrorists killed,” the source further said.
He stated that the air and land components of Operation Whirl Punch were living up to their mandate of continuously making decisive efforts to rid the joint operations area of terrorism.
“This has been evident through the various successes recorded in the decimation and neutralisation of terrorists and other criminal elements in recent times,” he said.
Spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed the air strikes.
“The Air Component will continue to sustain offensive operations against these criminal elements in collaboration with the Land Component and other security agencies to rid the Joint Operations Area and indeed the entire Northwest of terrorism and other acts of criminality.
“In keeping of the directive of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, to NAF operational commanders that terrorists and their likes are denied hiding places.
All the air component commanders are on their toes to ensure they keep and meet up with the directive”, he said.
