LAGOS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian military will deploy two additional helicopter gunships in an effort to cope with terrorism threats in the country's northwestern region, authorities said Saturday.
Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, Nigeria's Chief of Air Staff (CAS), told reporters in the restive city of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, that the fight against armed groups must continue until the threat is over.
Armed groups have recently increased attacks in the states of Borno, Zamfara, Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau and Taraba. On April 6, 50 people were killed by gunmen who camped in a thick forest in Zamfara, a troubled state in northwestern Nigeria.
On Thursday, at least 35 gunmen were killed in clashes with security forces which rescued 40 people abducted by the armed group in Zamfara.
Meanwhile, Abubakar said the air force was providing support to the ongoing operations against remnants of Boko Haram insurgents in the country's northeast.
Boko Haram has been trying since 2009 to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria, extending its attacks to countries in the Lake Chad basin.
