Air strikes carried out on Saturday, 27 April 2024, by the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch targeted in Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state have neutralised scores of terrorists.
Director of Public Relations and Information, AVM Edward Gabkwet in a statement issued Sunday said the strikes were executed at the stronghold of notorious terrorist kingpin, Mallam Umar and several other commanders located in the Alawa Forest area.
He noted that the strikes conducted were sequel to extensive Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations in the targeted area, revealing clusters of huts within compounds amidst dense vegetation, with significant presence of armed terrorists loitering around the vicinity.
Gabkwet stressed that painstaking intelligence earlier gathered had confirmed that these same terrorists were responsible for the recent attacks on ground troops at Bassa Community as well as multiple Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) incidences along the Pandogari-Alawa Road within the same LGA.
He noted: “Air strikes carried out on Saturday, 27 April 2024, by the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch targeted at terrorists’ hideouts in Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State and against economic saboteurs in the Niger Delta region have yielded significant results.
“Accordingly, the Air Component promptly deployed its air assets to decisively eliminate the terrorists, resulting in effective and maximum damage to the targets.
“A post-strike Battle Damage Assessment later confirmed the neutralisation of several of the terrorists and the destruction of their hideouts, with positive consequences on their ability to attack surface forces as well as innocent civilians within the area.”
Gabkwet revealed that similar airstrikes were also carried out the same day in the Niger Delta region against economic saboteurs and oil thieves bent on illegally siphoning crude oil from mutilated pipelines, while destroying the environment and ecosystems.
He added that this time, surveillance over Ke, Egbema, Akaso Krakama, Krikama and Military Council Valley revealed a retinue of illegal refining sites which were effectively destroyed by the Air Component of Operation Delta Safe.
Gabkwet said a Cotonou boat fully loaded with crude oil product was also observed at Akaso Krakama about to depart southwards and was subsequently attacked and destroyed. At Krikama, several cooking sites were observed and destroyed as well.
He added that in all 18 illegal refining sites and three cotonou boats were destroyed.
Gabkwet stressed that these strikes have substantially weakened the potency of terrorist elements in the Northwest and oil thieves in the Niger Delta region to continually constitute a security threat to the well-being of the nation and its citizenry.