The Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma has killed 20 suspected terrorists during raids on their hideouts in Unguwar Goga Hill-Forest, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
Ali said the airstrikes, executed in the early hours of Thursday, preceded careful and actionable intelligence by the troops.
The spokesman said: “The troops destroyed the fortified camps of notorious bandit kingpins, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga, and neutralised over 20 criminals, with additional casualties reported in the surrounding rocky hills.
“The airstrikes have a decisive impact on the criminals, even as the assessment of the full extent of the damage is still ongoing.
“Riga and Gero were key enablers of banditry, sheltering terrorist elements responsible for relentless ambushes along the Funtua-Gusau Road, particularly between Yankara and Sheme villages.
“Their elimination marks a major breakthrough in the ongoing military campaign to restore peace in the North-West.
“The NAF, in coordination with ground forces, remains relentless in its mission to eradicate all threats and dismantle bandit strongholds.”