Ambush Kills 26 Nigerian Soldiers; Rescue Helicopter Crashes: Military

 Ambush Kills 26 Nigerian Soldiers; Rescue Helicopter Crashes: Military

The Mi-171 helicopter, which was on a "casualty evacuation mission" when it crashed on Monday after taking off from Zungeru, according to a spokesman for the Nigerian air force.

Nigeria's Kano According to two military officials who spoke to AFP, at least 26 members of the Nigerian security forces were killed and eight others injured in a late-night assault by gunmen in central Nigeria.

A helicopter that was rescuing the injured crashed on Monday morning in the region where the army is battling criminal organisations, according to an air force spokesperson, who did not say if the crew and passengers survived.

Because they were not licenced to speak about the event and military officials were unavailable for comment, the two military officers begged to remain anonymous.

According to the first source, there had been "a serious fight" near the Zungeru-Tegina route. In the melee, he said, "We lost 23 troops, including three officers and three Civilians JTF (vigilantes) while eight security personnel were injured.

A second officer provided the same figure and stated that the bandits had suffered "heavy casualties." Additionally, he said that a chopper sent by the air force to remove the casualties.

He said that 11 of the deceased and 7 of the injured were aboard the chopper. He continued by saying that "bandits" had shot at the plane, causing it to crash.

The Mi-171 helicopter, which was on a "casualty evacuation mission" when it crashed on Monday after taking off from Zungeru, according to a spokesman for the Nigerian air force.

According to a statement from spokesperson Edward Gabkwet, the plane had left Zungeru Primary School on its way to Kaduna but later was found to have crashed close to Chukuba Village in Niger State's Shiroro Local Government Area.

He stated that attempts were being made to save people on board and that first inquiries into the crash's cause had begun.

In Africa's most populous country, hardly a week goes by without an attack or kidnapping carried out by thieves known as "bandits" in the northwest and central of the nation.

The gangs, who are known for kidnapping numerous students from schools, have camps in a huge forest that crosses the states of Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Katsina.

Bandits have terrorised northwest and central Nigeria for years, raiding isolated areas where they kill and kidnap locals for ransom and set homes on fire after robbing them.

The violence has been allowed to grow because there is impunity, inadequate security, and a larger government presence, according to analysts.