The Nigerian military air component of Operation Whirl Punch in the Northwest has carried out an air strike, eliminating a kidnapping syndicate in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The operation followed an intelligence report of the movement of the syndicate on 15 bikes along the Kwiga-Kampamin Doka axis in the LGA.
The terrorists were responsible for the recent ambush on troops of the Nigerian army at Kwanan Mutuwa, and other attacks and abduction of civilians in the LGA.
Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, the Nigerian Air Force Director of Public Relations and Information made this known in a statement on Monday.
The statement partly reads: “On arrival at the suspected location, a deliberate and detailed scan revealed a trail of terrorists sighted moving in a convoy of about 15 motorcycles, each with at least 2 armed terrorists, National Daily Newspaper gathered.
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“Accordingly, the terrorists were trailed to a location where they converged before they were engaged and neutralized in a precision strike.
“The aftermath of the air strike revealed that several of the terrorists were eliminated as a result of the strike.”
Meanwhile, in reaction to the development, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, commended the component commander and urged the troops to sustain the effort.
He said: “While this does not call for celebration on our part, I must commend the professionalism of the crew for patiently trailing the criminals until an appropriate opportunity to strike presented itself.
We must keep pushing and striving.”