Following a bandit ambush in Zamfara State, several terrorists and some Nigerian Army personnel were killed.
The attack on the Malele community in the Mutumji region of the Maru Local Government Area, was reported to have happened on Sunday when the ground troops were reacting to distress calls from locals.
According to anonymous military sources, the troops fought valiantly to repel the ambush and fire duel that they claim resulted in the deaths of numerous terrorists and some Nigerian Army soldiers.
The terrorists also destroyed three weapons vehicles that belonged to the military.
Residents said that because the nearby settlements of Malele, Ruwan Tofa, Zaman Lafiya, and others under the Dansadau Emirate refused to negotiate with the bandits, the bandits from several camps in the Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, and Kaduna States came together to attack those communities.
A resident of Dansadau named Nuhu Dansadau said that as soon as the resident learnt of the planned attacks, a distress call was sent to the security agencies, who swiftly responded.
According to Mr. Dansadau, the combined security personnel that aided the populace pushed the terrorists to retreat towards the nearby Mutumji hamlet.
However, he pointed out that while repelling the attack, a Nigerian Airforce airstrike directed against the terrorist organisation in the Mutumji area fell at a position inside the community, killing several locals.
The authorities had not yet released a formal statement regarding the attack as of the time of reporting this report.