Nigerian government troops and local vigilantes killed more than 300 members of kidnapping and cattle bandit gangs during a two-day operation in Zamfara State, according to The Guardian.
The military offensive targeted criminal syndicates in the Gummi district after a prior withdrawal two weeks ago when troops were outnumbered.
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Joint Operation Targets Bandits
The joint campaign by security forces and residents began on Wednesday night to counter approximately 1,000 bandits who had stolen livestock in the area.
"The soldiers and the vigilantes killed more than 300 bandits in the fight which raged all night and the following morning," said Abubakar Muhammad, a resident of Gummi.
Zamfara's information commissioner, Mahmud Muhammad Dantawasa, described the operation as a breakthrough, stating it "led to the elimination of more than 300 terrorists."
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Security analysts note that cattle rustlers and jihadist groups have increasingly cooperated due to mutual interests in maintaining a weak central government.
The local government framed the military engagement as a major step in restoring order to the region, which has been plagued by mass school kidnappings and protection rackets.
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In a separate incident on Saturday, the Nigerian army announced it suffered casualties while successfully rescuing over 40 children kidnapped by suspected jihadists in the southwestern part of the country.
