In what could be described as a daring and clinical military operations, Special Forces under the 271 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Detachment, Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, carried out a rescue operation in the early hours of Saturday, December 17, 2022, leading to the rescue of seven Chinese expatriates earlier kidnapped and held hostage by terrorists.
The successful rescue operation was made known by NAF’s Director of Public
Relations & Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet.
The rescued Chinese victims were believed to have been kidnapped in June 2022 by terrorists while working on a mining site in Ajata-Aboki, Gurmana Ward of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to Air Commodore Gabkwet, “the Combat Search and Rescue operation, which consisted of 35 Special Forces, was conducted in the cover of night at Kanfani Doka and Gwaska general Areas, leading to the terrorists abandoning their enclaves, weapons and kidnapped Chinese victims while fleeing for their lives due to the superior fire power of the special forces.”
He said that the seven Chinese victims were flown to the 271 NAF Detachment Medical Centre for evaluation after the successful operations, with two of them stabilized.
They were thereafter flown to the NAF Base Medical Hospital, Kaduna, for further medical investigations.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, had since congratulated the Commander of the 271 NAF Detachment, Birnin Gwari and his men for their continued determination and commitment, even in the face of danger, as they make inroad into the final fringes of terrorists’ enclaves in Kaduna State and the Northwest in general.
The Chief of Air Staff said: ‘I am very proud of what our Special Forces in Birnin Gwari and elsewhere have continued to achieve, and I remain confident that we will soon free all areas of terrorists and their activities.”
Air Marshal Amao also enjoined Nigerians to continue to support the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies by providing useful information that would lead to the arrest of criminal elements and those supporting them.
