All five crew members aboard a Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 helicopter gunship were killed when the helicopter crashed near Damasak in northern Nigeria on Wednesday, the air force said in a statement.
According to Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, the Russian manufactured Mi-35M attack helicopter was providing close air support to troops of 145 Battalion, Damasak in Borno State in the ongoing counterinsurgency operations.
The remains of the crew – Flight Lieutenant Perowei Jacob, Flight Lieutenant Kaltho Paul Kilyofas, Sergeant Auwal Ibrahim, Lance Corporal Adamu Nura and Aircraftman Meshack Ishmael have since been brought to Maiduguri.
The aircraft crash came as Islamic State claimed attacks on the military in Damasak and bases in nearby Yobe State.
