Zamfara terror cell wiped out in coordinated air offensive

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has taken out a major terrorist enclave in Zamfara State, following a series of targeted air raids on the notorious Sauri camp in Tsafe Local Government Area.

A statement issued on Saturday by the NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, revealed that the operation was carried out on 14 November by the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA.

Ejodame explained that the strikes were the outcome of “extensive reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions” which confirmed concentrated terrorist movement as well as herds of rustled livestock concealed in a fortified high-ground location used as both a shelter and a logistics base.
He said air assets launched “several well-coordinated attack runs” on the identified positions, scoring accurate hits that forced surviving fighters to scatter into the nearby bush, where they were later tracked and neutralised.

According to him, the mission led to the elimination of a significant number of terrorists and the destruction of key structures and supply points, dealing a major blow to the group’s operational network in the area.

Ejodame also quoted the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, as restating the Force’s commitment to unrelenting counter-terrorism efforts, vowing that the NAF would “locate, pursue, and dismantle” any threats to civilian safety.

The Air Force said the success of the operation reinforces the determination of Operation FANSAN YAMMA to deny terrorist elements any safe haven and to bolster wider security measures aimed at restoring peace across Zamfara and the wider North-West.