The air component of Operation Whirl Punch has successfully killed 30 terrorists on motorcycles in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
This action follows credible intelligence reports regarding the movement of the terrorist syndicate in the region.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, revealed in a statement on Monday that intelligence suggesting the syndicate’s presence in the Kwiga-Kampamin Doka axis in Birnin Gwari prompted the airstrikes.
The same group had previously ambushed troops at Kwanan Mutuwa on January 27, 2024, and was responsible for various attacks and abductions in the area.
Upon reaching the identified location, security forces observed the syndicate moving in a convoy of approximately 15 motorcycles, each carrying at least two armed terrorists.
A strike was carried out and multiple terrorists were killed.
Gabkwet reported, “The aftermath of the air strike revealed that several of the terrorists were eliminated as a result of the strike.”
Residents in the Birnin Gwari area have frequently been terrorised and victimised by bandits, creating security issues for the area.
In a related development, security operatives in Katsina State successfully rescued 35 kidnap victims from the Dumburu forest.
These victims had been abducted from Tashar Nagulle and Nahuta communities in the Batsari Local Government Area.
On Sunday afternoon, there was a gunfight between the bandits and the troops during the rescue attempt.
Governor Dikko Radda, upon meeting the rescued victims at the Government House in Katsina, congratulated them on their regained freedom.
The governor provided each victim with N100,000 in financial assistance to help them embark on a new beginning.
