Troops of the 133 Special Forces Battalion of the Army have killed five suspected militants as Operation Crocodile Smile got underway in the Niger Delta.

Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, said twenty three other suspects were arrested.

The operation which was flagged off by the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, is aimed at getting rid of all forms of criminal activities in the region.

Meanwhile, there was tension in the Niger Delta region at the weekend following special military drills on the first day of Operation Crocodile Smile.

This is coming as the Niger Delta Avengers named Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, former Abia State governor Orji Kalu and others as members of its panel to dialogue with the federal government.

The operation was designed by the military to equip the amphibious and internal security operations in the riverine areas against the activities of Niger Delta militants.

It is also designed to train Special Forces, formations and units located in the region.

It is said to comprise both strategy perfection and public confidence building.