Space Travel News
AFRICA NEWS
Nigeria air strikes kill around '100 bandit fighters'
Nigeria air strikes kill around '100 bandit fighters'
by AFP Staff Writers
Kano, Nigeria (AFP) Oct 13, 2023

Nigerian military jets have carried out air strikes on a gathering of bandit militias, killing around 100 gunmen in the country's northwest, two army sources with knowledge of the operation and local residents said.

Nigeria's air force confirmed it had carried out bombardments in northwestern Zamfara State on Tuesday, but a spokesman said he could not yet provide details on the numbers killed.

Northwestern and central Nigerian states have for years been terrorised by gangs, known locally as bandits, who raid villages and kill and abduct residents for ransom in rural areas where state presence is weak.

The gangs, notorious for mass kidnappings from schools and colleges in recent years, maintain camps hidden in a vast forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states.

"Fighter jets conducted air strikes on bandits, I'm sure more than 100 were killed and almost twice that number were badly injured," one of the military officers involved in the operation said.

Another military official also confirmed a similar number. Both spoke to AFP anonymously because they were not authorised to speak about the operation.

Two local residents who described the bodies after the strikes also gave similar numbers.

Fighters from seven of the most active gangs had converged in an area on the border between Zamfara, Kebbi and Niger states with the intent of attacking villages and a nearby military base, according to the officers.

"Timely intelligence report was received and surveillance was conducted which determined their location and movement before fighter jets were deployed," the first officer said.

When asked for details, Nigerian air force spokesman Commodore Edward Gabkwet confirmed the air strikes.

"But I can't confirm numbers to you," he said.

- Ties with jihadists -

The bandits riding motorcycles were intercepted by the fighter jets at Dan Mani village in Sangeko district on the fringes of Kuyan Bana forest where they were bombarded, the second military officer said.

"Dead bodies, which were badly burnt, littered the bushes. They were so many that the bandits abandoned many to make room for the evacuation of the injured," the officer said.

"We don't have an exact number of the casualties but the dead were more than 100," he said.

The air strike was the second most intensive aerial operation against bandits in Zamfara since 2015 when the military deployed to fight the gangs.

Usman Tukur, a resident of Kuyan Bana area where the air strike was carried out, told AFP that dozens of bodies were left around the area after the bombardment.

"They were bombarded by fighter jets and a huge number were killed. Those who survived were seen fleeing with their injured comrades through villages in the area," he said.

"From our estimation, those killed were more than 100."

Another resident Mustapha Sarki Kaya gave a similar account, saying locals had seen the bandits burying their dead.

Nigerian officials have struggled to end the violence in the northwest and several peace deals and amnesties with the bandit militias have failed to work.

Although the bandits are motivated by financial gain with no ideological leaning, authorities and security analysts are worried by the increasing ties with jihadists waging a 14-year armed insurgency in Nigeria.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
UNESCO mission in Libya to inspect damaged heritage sites
Tripoli (AFP) Oct 9, 2023
Experts from the United Nations cultural agency on Monday arrived in Libya to inspect ancient sites hit by last month's flooding that devastated parts of the country's east. Extreme rainfall from hurricane-strength Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on September 10, flooding the city of Derna and other neighbouring towns and regions. UNESCO experts are expected to visit Cyrene, a World Heritage Site that is threatened with collapse after the flooding sent water circulating around its foundations. ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
AFRICA NEWS
Bumping to a Better Position: Sols 3973-3974

Light rocks on deck, gray rocks in the hole: Sols 3966-3697

NASA's Perseverance captures dust-filled Martian whirlwind

Double DRT for a Soliday: Sols 3964-3965:

AFRICA NEWS
Firefly Aerospace completes Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Structure

China's next robotic lunar probe open to foreign science payloads

China invites Chang'e-8 lunar probe mission global collaboration

Lunar ambitions boost space funding as investment set to reach $33 billion by 2032

AFRICA NEWS
Large mound structures on Kuiper belt object Arrokoth may have common origin

Plot thickens in the hunt for a ninth planet

Webb finds carbon source on surface of Jupiter's moon Europa

Hidden ocean the source of CO2 on Jupiter moon

AFRICA NEWS
Extreme habitats: Microbial life in Old Faithful Geyser

James Webb telescope captures planet-like structures in Orion Nebula

Study sheds new light on strange lava worlds

JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

AFRICA NEWS
EU warns Musk's X spreading 'illegal' disinfo after Hamas attack

Orbit Fab appoints Chief Engineer, advances refueling system test capabilities

Rocket Lab opens engine development center in Long Beach

Vega-C Zefiro40 Test: Independent Enquiry

AFRICA NEWS
Astronauts honored for contributions to China's space program

China capable of protecting astronauts from effects of space weightlessness

Tianzhou 5 spacecraft burns up on Earth reentry

Crew of Shenzhou XV mission honored for six-month space odyssey

AFRICA NEWS
Five things to know about NASA's mission to a metal world

SwRI scientists use Webb, Sofia telescopes to observe metallic asteroid

A prehistoric cosmic airburst preceded the advent of agriculture in the Levant

Initial curation of NASA's OSIRIS-REx sample delayed

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.