Nigerian troops kill 21 bandits in gunfight

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(FILES) This picture taken on April 30, 2013 shows Nigerian troops patrolling in the streets of the remote northeast town of Baga, Borno State. Nigeria's military said on May 16, 2013 that it was ready to launch air strikes against Boko Haram Islamists as several thousand troops moved to the remote northeast to retake territory seized by the insurgents. A force of "several thousand" soldiers along with fighter jets and helicopter gunships have been deployed for the offensive in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa state, he added. AFP PHOTO/PIUS UTOMI EKPEIPIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images

ABUJA: Twenty-one bandits were confirmed killed following a gunfight with troops in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Zamfara, an army spokesman said Thursday.

Two army personnel were also killed during the gunfight at Anka area of the northern state on Wednesday, said Texas Chukwu, the army spokesman.

He told reporters in Gusau, the state capital, that a large number of bandits fled the scene with bullet wounds.

A local source told Xinhua that the bandits had laid an ambush for the troops engaged in a clearance operation in the state.

Last month, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the deployment of more troops to Zamfara to curtail increasing attacks and mass killing of locals by bandits since last year.

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