The Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji has on the night of 15th June, conducted airstrikes against terrorists hibernating at a hideout location at Gidan Kare village of Ruwan Godiya ward in Faskari LGA of Katsina State.
In a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet says the strikes became necessary following intelligence that terrorists numbering over a hundred were reported burning houses at a settlement about five kilometers away from gidan kare village.
The statement explains that overhead the village about 8;30pm, several houses were observed to be on fire with the entire village in pandemonium.
Moments later, twelve motorcycles were seen departing the village and trailed along a footpath out of the village to a location near gidan kare village and kuka shidda camp, where they joined up with a large number of cohorts.
Other terrorists were also observed arriving the location from different directions, an indication that the location was a massing up point with the terrorists likely planning to further attack nearby villages.
According to the statement, authorization was sought, obtained and the location was immediately struck at exactly 9;40pm with over eighty terrorists confirmed killed and about forty-five motorcycles burnt down, while few surviving terrorists were observed fleeing or limping off.
It states that further intelligence received after the strike also revealed that the terrorists were closely linked with notorious terrorist kingpin, Yusuf Yellow and his close associate, Rabe Imani.
The statement adds that these strikes, along with others before now, have no doubt disrupted terrorist activities in the area.
PR/Usman Sani.
