The camp of a notorious armed Niger Republic bandit, Maliki Shrige, has been bombed by the fighter aircraft of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) at South Jaja community in the Zurmi local government area of Zamfara State.
According to PRNigeria, the military airstrikes also eliminated scores of his armed fighters while fleeing in surrounding communities.
The wanted bandit kingpin, Shrige and his cohorts met their waterloo after actionable provided their precise locations before the precision airstrikes.
Shrige is said to be the arrowhead of the terrorist group launching attacks on bordering communities in Zamfara and Katsina states.
A military intelligence operative disclosed that Shrige, a notorious terrorist from the Niger Republic, alongside his foot soldiers had in February this year migrated northward to South Jaja where they had established new hideouts, as well as staging areas from where they launched attacks on adjoining villages and towns.
This followed the extermination of scores of terrorists, as well as total decimation of their logistics and hideouts at Doumborou Forest in Zamfara, following airstrikes executed by NAF jets on February 17, 2022.
According to the source, reports from locals at Shimfida also revealed the miscreants had been launching several attacks and ambushes on their own troops’ locations in the Zamfara community.
“Consequently, surveillance aircraft were deployed to unravel the modus operandi of the depraved terrorists around the general area. Footages revealed significant terrorists’ activities were moving in and out of multiple huts with mounted solar panels.
“Furthermore, the footage showed armed terrorists moving on motorcycles along multiple tracks leading into the huts within the areas of interest.
“The footage corroborates valid Intel from locals and own deployments around the location that the huts are strategic points from where the miscreants launch most attacks on villages, communities and towns in ZAMFARA and KATSINA states.
“Accordingly, on the 13 July 2022, the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji dispatched a formation of fighter jets armed with rockets and bombs in an Air Interdiction mission at intervals to eliminate and infuse maximum casualty on the terrorists as well as destroy their enclaves.
“After confirming the target location to be active with scores of terrorists and large herds of rustled cattle within the huts, the information was relayed to the fighter jets for the extermination of the targets.
“Accordingly, the fighter jet armed with bombs was established overhead the target area and vectored to the target location. On arrival, scores of terrorists were spotted within the huts and multiple motorcycles are also seen moving into the huts. Consequently, the location was decisively engaged with bombs.
“Reports from the locals and own deployments at locations around SHIMFIDA substantiated that terrorist kingpin MALIKI SHRIGE and his cohorts suffered maximum casualties as about 45 terrorists were neutralised with their logistics demolished during the Air Interdiction,” he said.