Mi-35M Combat Helicopter Crashes in Nigeria, Five Killed

A Russian-made Mil Mi-35M multi-role helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) crashed on Wednesday night in Borno, a north-eastern Nigerian state.

The helicopter crashed during a combat operation with Boko Haram insurgents (Jihadist militant organisation) while providing air support for ground troops operating in the town of Damasak in Borno. Two NAF pilots and three crew members have been killed in the crash, ChannelsTV reported Thursday.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the death of the five crew members who were on board the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Mi-35M Helicopter which crashed in combat yesterday, 2 January 2019, while providing close air support to troops of 145 Battalion, Damasak in Borno State,” the report quoted Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, Director of NAF Public Relations and Information as saying Thursday.