At least 135 suspected bandits have been killed in massive air raids launched on their hideouts in Katsina and Zamfara States by the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji, the defence authorities said on Saturday.
The raids spanned three days (Wednesday to Friday), according to the Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche.
Enenche said the renewed offensive resulted in the decimation of several camps and neutralization of “no fewer than 135 armed bandits in massive air raids executed at several locations in Katsina and Zamfara States between 20 and 22 May 2020.”
The air strikes,he said, followed “credible Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports as well as series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions that led to the identification of the camps, which 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.”
He added that: “The air interdiction missions were painstakingly undertaken by the Air Component as it dispatched its attack aircraft to the locations in multiple bombing runs, some of which were executed simultaneously.
“At the Abu Radde Camps on 20 May 2020, 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.
Similar air raids were executed at Hassan Tagwaye’s and Alhaji Auta’s Camps as well as at Maikomi with equally devastating effects.
HUMINT reports later confirmed that no fewer than 135 bandits were neutralized by the series of air strikes at the various locations.”
