Scores Eliminated as NAF Airstrikes Foil Bandits Movement from Zamfara into Kebbi
The Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA has carried out precision airstrikes against a large formation of armed bandits advancing from Zamfara State into Kebbi State, reportedly killing scores of the fighters and disrupting their movement.
The operation, conducted on Monday, August 10, followed intelligence indicating that a large group of bandits had emerged from the Sangeko Gap in Zamfara State and was moving towards Makuku in Kebbi State.
Sources familiar with the operation said the bandits, estimated at about 240 fighters, were travelling in three groups on motorcycles towards the community.
Following the development, ground forces comprising troops of the Nigerian Army and personnel of the Nigeria Police Force mobilised to contain the threat, resulting in intense engagements with the armed group.
The Air Component subsequently launched an air interdiction mission against identified concentrations of the advancing bandits.
According to sources, the strikes were precisely executed on the reported locations of the bandit formations, resulting in the deaths of scores of fighters and significantly disrupting their planned advance into Kebbi.
The aerial intervention also provided critical support to ground forces engaged in the operation and helped prevent the bandits from gaining access to vulnerable communities.
Meanwhile, residents in some affected communities reportedly began precautionary evacuation as security forces intensified efforts to contain the threat and prevent further movement by the armed group.
A battle-damage assessment is ongoing to establish the precise extent of casualties and damage inflicted on the bandit formation.
The operation underscores the growing coordination between air and ground forces under Operation FANSAN YAMMA in disrupting large bandit formations, restricting their mobility and preventing them from massing for attacks across the North-West.
By TimesNG