By Zagazola Makama
The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), in continuation of its sustained air campaign against armed bandits and other criminal elements threatening national security, has recorded another significant operational success with a precision airstrikes targeting a major gathering of bandits at Dogon Dawa, along the strategic Niger–Kaduna–Zamfara border.
Credible operational sources confirmed that the strike was executed after intelligence indicated that a large number of armed bandits had converged at the location to coordinate and plan a series of attacks against nearby communities.
The precision engagement effectively struck the gathering, resulting in the neutralisation of a substantial number of the terrorists. Intelligence obtained following the operation also indicated that more than hundreds of motorcycles, believed to have been assembled for the planned offensive and mobility of the criminal elements, were present at the target area at the time of the strike.
Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) and follow-up intelligence further revealed that several surviving terrorists, many of them wounded, fled in disarray towards the forests between Shadadi and Ma’undu through the Mangwaro axis, abandoning their coordinated plans as the devastating effects of the air strike disrupted their operations.
The successful mission illustrated the effectiveness in employing intelligence-driven precision air power to deny criminal groups freedom of movement, disrupt their command structures, and degrade their operational capabilities before attacks can be launched against innocent civilians.
This operation also reflects the seamless synergy between intelligence agencies and the Air Component in identifying, tracking, and engaging high-value terrorist and bandit targets with remarkable precision while sustaining pressure on criminal networks across the North-West and North-Central theatres.