At least eight suspected terrorists were killed Wednesday in an airstrike by the Nigerian military in the northeastern state of Borno, an official said.
Edward Gabkwet, the spokesman for the Nigerian Air Force, said in a statement that the airstrike, which targeted a hideout of suspected terrorists in the Baranga village of the Marte local government area of Borno, successfully hit the target.
A gun truck belonging to the suspected terrorists was also destroyed during the airstrike, Gabkwet said.
The air troops were on a reconnaissance mission in the area, in furtherance of the sustained onslaught against remnants of terrorists in the northeast region, when they sighted and trailed two suspected terrorists on a motorcycle along an active trace, according to the official.
He said the gunmen took cover under thick vegetation after sighting the military aircraft while a gun truck carrying eight of them suddenly appeared, speeding off to evade the aircraft. Subsequently, the gun truck was engaged and destroyed, eliminating the suspected terrorists.
Gabkwet said the remnants of terrorists in that part of the country had recently continued to seek the covers of thick forests and vegetation to evade being detected by the military and other local security agencies.
