Precision airstrikes by the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch have eliminated a syndicate of terrorists on 15 motorcycles in Kaduna State.
A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, said the strike followed an intelligence report of the movement of the terrorists along the Kwiga-Kampamin Doka axis in Birnin Gwari local government area (LGA) of Kaduna State.
He said the intel also revealed that the same syndicate was responsible for the ambush on troops at Kwanan Mutuwa on January 27, 2024 as well as several attacks and abduction of innocent civilians in Birnin Gwari.
Gabkwet said the terrorists were trailed to a location where they converged before they were engaged and neutralised in a precision strike.
“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 two armed terrorists. The aftermath of the airstrike revealed that several of the terrorists were eliminated as a result of the strike,” he said.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, commended the Component Commander and further charged him to sustain the momentum.
“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,” he said.
