The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has launched targeted airstrikes on a major militant stronghold in the Gando Forest, located in the Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria.
The air interdiction, carried out in the early hours of Thursday, 6 August 2026, by the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma Sector 2, targeted the hideout of prominent bandit leader Alhaji Bello.
According to security sources, Bello maintains active ties to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-aligned militant coalition operating across the Sahel. Bello and several key lieutenants were reportedly trained by JNIM operatives in manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which were subsequently deployed along civilian transport routes in Anka.
Local reports indicate that multiple explosions were heard coming from the forest around 6:00 a.m., resulting in the deaths of numerous fighters within the compound.
Military authorities stated that the operation forms part of a broader, sustained air and ground offensive designed to neutralize insurgent networks and destroy their operational bases across the North-West region.
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