NAF airstrikes kill ISWAP terrorists, dismantle bandit camps in Katsina, Kwara

Air strikes carried out by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have killed several Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram areas of Borno State.

The operations also targeted and destroyed bandit hideouts in Kwara and Katsina States.

NAF’s spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed in a statement on Monday that the strikes took place on Sunday, November 10.

He added that the missions, guided by real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) feeds, inflicted significant losses on ISWAP fighters entrenched in the Northern Tumbuns.

It said, “Air assets conducted precision strikes southeast of Shuwaram before shifting to Mallam Fatori, where ISWAP elements were observed mobilising with motorcycles and boats along the Lake Chad Basin.

“The strikes destroyed insurgent hideouts, logistics hubs, and weapons storage facilities, eliminating several terrorists and crippling their mobility capabilities. Post-strike assessments confirmed multiple neutralisations and a significant degradation of ISWAP’s operational networks in the area.”

The statement stated that while airstrikes against ISWAP were ongoing in the North East, NAF aircraft carried out precision air interdiction missions over Garin Dandi and Chigogo in Kwara State, striking bandit camps with “devastating accuracy.”

According to the statement, the attacks based on credible intelligence caused panic and inflicted heavy losses among the criminals.

In a similar operation, air assets under Operation FANSAN YAMMA struck Zango Hill, which habours a terrorist kingpin and his fighters, in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, destroying their logistics hubs and neutralising several of the terrorists, described by the Nigerian Air Force as one of the most decisive strikes against bandits in the North West in recent times.

The statement noted that, in a bid to demonstrate sustained reach and precision, the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, under Sector 1, conducted an Armed Reconnaissance mission across the North West corridor, covering key settlements in Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna States, including Kakihum, Dankolo, Kotonkoro, and Kuyello, which were locations known to serve as routes and hideouts for armed groups along the Birnin Gwari–Funtua axis.

“During the mission, coordination with Forward Operating Bases at Dankolo and Kotonkoro revealed suspicious movement near Wam Hill, where terrorists on motorcycles were spotted attempting to flee.

“The aircrew swiftly engaged and neutralised the targets, with no further hostile activity observed,” it said.

The Nigerian Air Force attributed the success of the precision operations across Borno, Kwara, Katsina, and the entire North West, to the renewed tempo following the directives of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke.

“Each mission reaffirms NAF’s resolve to project smarter and intelligence driven airpower to project purposeful lethality against insurgents and criminals while protecting the lives and properties of citizens towards enhancing national security,” the statement said.

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