Nigeria: Military says dozens of gang members killed
The operation took place "in the early hours" of Sunday in the Bukkuyum local government area, the military said. The move came after more than 400 gang members were seen preparing to attack a village.
Armed groups — which are often called "bandits" by locals — have been terrorizing communities across the northwest and central Nigeria.
What else do we know about the military operation?
Nigerian Air Force spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said that the airstrike killed "several notorious kingpins and scores of their footsoldiers."
He added that ground forces intercepted and killed others trying to flee the area in Makakkari Forest, where the operation took place.
The military's attack "may have occurred in response to consecutive banditry, especially kidnapping, in the state in the previous month", the French AFP news agency reported, citing a conflict monitoring report produced by the United Nations on the operation.
Bandits had been planning an attack on a farming village when the military operation started, the report added.
Who are the so-called 'bandits'?
Apart from charging farmers and local miners taxes, the "bandits" are also known for kidnapping people and holding them hostage for months, often demanding ransom for their release.
The groups are often motivated by money, but they have lately been increasingly cooperating with jihadist groups in the area.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly launched military operations against such groups, including an operation in July, in which at least 95 gang members were killed in the northwestern state of Niger.
Military operations have nevertheless yet to succeed at quelling the violence, which has also exacerbated Nigeria's malnutrition crisis, especially in the northwest, as "bandits" continue to drive farmers away from their properties.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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