The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), helicopter which crashed earlier Monday in Niger State, was reportedly conveying to a military hospital in Kaduna State, some soldiers wounded in a gun battle with terrorists, military sources disclosed.
“The NAF helicopter that unfortunately crashed in Niger today was not a fighter aircraft, as speculated in some quarters.
“It is used for evacuation missions of the military personnel,” the sources said.
Contrary to reports that the NAF helicopter was gunned down by armed bandits at Shiroro Local Government Area in Niger state, the ill-fated aircraft was on evacuation missions airlifting injured troops who had engaged terrorists at some communities in Rafi, Wushishi, and Lavun Local Government Areas.
It was gathered that the terrorists had raided several villages in the three Niger LGs, killed some locals, and also rustled their cattle between Sunday and Monday.
Sources disclosed that the air component and ground troops had responded swifrly to distress calls put by members of the raided communities, and engaged the terrorists.
Though airstrikes and the intervention by ground troops halted the violent activities of the terrorists, some soldiers lost their lives, while others were injured, together with local vigilantes.
An intelligence source told PRNigeria that the bandits mostly on motorcycles, were raiding some communities when the military responded.
“It was quite a hectic day in the counter-terrorism campaigns as the bandits were raiding different villages simultaneously and rustling hundreds of cattle.
“We responded decisively against the bandits at the Jiwawa axis, while we also engaged another group at a community in Wushisi LGA early in the morning.
“Surprisingly, while the operations were going on, we got more distress calls that the bandits had infiltrated other communities in Lavun and Rafi Local Governments.
“Troops and vigilantes that were mobilized exchanged gunfires on their routes, including around Zungeru Kontagora road.
“The operations were very successful before the crash of the helicopter which was on a casualty evacuation mission after picking injured troops on its way to a military hospital in Kaduna,” NewsdeskAfrica learnt.
