Air troops kill ’30 terrorists converging for a ceremony’ in Zamfara

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says the air component of operation Hadarin Daji has killed 30 terrorists in an airstrike in Zamfara.

Musa Danmadami, DHQ’s director of media operations, said the operation was carried out on October 14 following an intelligence report about the terrorists’ plan to converge for a ceremony at the resident of Lawali Gudau, one of their leaders.

Gudau, also known as Dogo Damina, and his members were said to have been cleared off with their armoury at his residence in Koli village, Maru LGA of the state.

“On 14 October 22, following intelligence of bandits plan to converge at the residence of a notorious bandits leader Lawali Gudau AKA Dogo Damina for a ceremony at Koli village, in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, the air component of Operation HADARIN DAJI equally conducted air bombardment at the terrorists’ leader enclave and neutralised over 30 terrorists as well as destroying their armoury in the strike,” Danmadami said in a statement on Thursday.

According to him, the troops also killed 14 terrorists at an enclave called Maudi Maudi at Tsora hill in Safana LGA of Katsina state. 

He said some terrorists escaped with injuries during the operation which was conducted on October 11.

“Relatedly, the air component of Operation HADARIN DAJI sustained its onslaught against terrorists in the North West Region. Accordingly, an air interdiction operation was carried out on a terrorist enclave, Maudi Maudi, at Tsora hill in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State on 11 October 2022, feedback revealed that over 14 terrorists were neutralised in the air bombardment while others survived the strike with injuries,” he said.

He also said Kabiru Mania and Abubakar, two “notorious bandits” responsible for kidnaping and robbery in Zamfara and part of Katsina, surrendered to the troops in Shinkafi LGA, Zamfara.

The military, in recent months, has continued to launch offensives against the terrorists.