Days after fierce gunfights between Nigerian forces and terrorists in certain Zamfara communities, no fewer than 213 dead, including those of terrorists and their collaborators, have been found, according to PRNigeria.
When bandits fled into the settlements, 10 military personnel were also lost, and some civilians were also killed.
As PRNigeria reported yesterday, the ground forces and air force of Operation Hadarin Daji achieved a significant victory by destroying bandits in the Malele Village of the Dansadau Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Since last Saturday, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has been conducting a well-coordinated joint operation with the Nigerian Army’s ground forces to crush the bandits.
Due to the ongoing conflict between Hausas and Fulanis over the theft of farm products, the area has become extremely volatile with significant bandits activities, notably in Malele, Maigoge, Yan Sawayu, Ruwan Tofa, Mai Awaki, and Zama Lafiya, all of which are located in the Mutunji district of the Dansadau Emirate Council.
The security services mobilized their soldiers to conduct a series of operations and airstrikes against those battling bandits coming from various regions of the country, a defense intelligence officer had told PRNigeria.
While the war is still going on, the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force (NAF) operations are producing spectacular results in the region. Several terrorists have been killed.
“Bandits seeking refuge from NAF airstrikes retreated into a little village known as Mutunji. The ground soldiers cleared the fleeing bandits in their attempts to flee as the NAF aircraft carried out a precision hit at the exact location after making sure that no civilian lives in the village were in danger.
However, in a Tuesday update, reliable sources in the neighborhood told PRNigeria that 10 soldiers paid the ultimate price while their fellow soldiers hammered the militants.
“At least 213 bodies of the bandit terrorists and their accomplices were counted. In what the military referred to as “collateral damage,” some people were also slain while fleeing bandits sheltered in the neighborhoods.
The attack on the army took place as they were scouting the area for counterattacks with the assistance of neighborhood vigilantes.
Through Zailani Bappa, his Special Adviser on Public Enlightenment, Media, and Communications, Governor Bello Matawalle sent a message of condolence to the families of those who had been killed earlier in military fire against marauding bandits.
The Governor expressed his profound sympathies to those who were hurt and the families of those who perished as a result of this collateral damage on behalf of himself, his family, the state government, and the entire good people of Zamfara state.
