Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma, has killed over 20 terrorists in airstrikes that decimated notorious bandit hideouts in Unguwar Goga Hill-Forest in the Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

This is contained in a statement by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Information, Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, Nigerian Air Force, on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Ali said that the airstrikes, executed in the early hours of Thursday, preceded careful and actionable intelligence.

He said that the NAF advanced purposeful lethality destroyed the fortified camps of notorious bandit kingpins, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga; thus, neutralising over 20 criminals, with additional casualties reported in the surrounding rocky hills.

According to him, the airstrikes have a decisive impact on the criminals, even as the assessment of the full extent of the damage is still ongoing.

He said, “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.’’

(NAN)