The Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch has eliminated a syndicate of terrorists on 15 motor bikes along the Kwiga-Kampamin Doka axis in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, Air Force spokesman, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet said on Monday.
He said in a statement that the strike was carried out as part of NAF relentless campaign to rid the Northwest and Northcentral region of Nigeria of the menace of terrorism and Kidnapping.
According to him, the strike followed an intelligence report of the movement of the syndicate along the Kwiga-Kampamin Doka axis in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State.
The intelligence report also revealed that the same syndicate was responsible for the ambush on troops at Kwanan Mutuwa on 27 January 2024 as well as several attacks and abduction of innocent civilians in Birnin Gwari.
He said that 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.
“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” he added, “revealed that several of the terrorists were eliminated as a result of the strike.”
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar acknowledging the effort commended the precision strike on the kidnappers and terrorists and added that “it must be sustained.”
CAS commended the Component Commander for the efforts and noted that “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,” Gabkwet quoted Air Marshal Abubakar saying.