Nigerian forces kill 30 bandits in northwest Katsina counter-operation

By Ahmed Kingimi

MAIDUGURI (Reuters) -Nigerian security forces killed at least 30 bandits in coordinated counter-operations in the Faskari district of Katsina state in the country's northwest, the state's internal security commissioner said on Thursday.

Nasir Mua'zu said the joint forces, comprising police, military, and the air force, responded to simultaneous attacks by hundreds of bandits on the communities of Kadisau, Raudama, and Sabon Layi late on Tuesday.

After intense clashes, security forces repelled the attackers, with 30 killed by coordinated air strikes as they tried to flee, Mua'zu said in a statement.

Five security officials and one civilian were killed, while an injured civilian was receiving treatment, he said.

Gangs of heavily armed men, known locally as bandits, have wreaked havoc across northwest Nigeria in recent years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road or on farms in some areas.

(Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi in Maiduguri; writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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