Suspected bandits have been said to have ambushed troops currently launching an onslaught against them in Zamfara State, killing 18 personnel in the Zurmi Local Government Area of the state.
Sources said the bodies of the military personnel have been deposited at the Yarima Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.
The action of the bandits could be a response to the heat the criminal elements are currently receiving, as a result of the military offensive against them in the state.
The troops are ridding the bandits out of their hideouts in the state, as many of them have met their waterloo.
Efforts to get authorities to confirm the incident, at the time of this report, have proved abortive as the Nigerian Army Public Relations Directorate did not respond to inquiries made by reporters.
Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State has come under attacks recently, due to the counter- banditry activities and the shutdown of telecom services, and the bombardment by land and air in the state.
