Top ISWAP leaders, 76 foot soldiers surrender

Several top leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, and 76 foot soldiers, including some of their family members, have surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East.

The Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Muhammad Goni, disclosed this in a statement released on Sunday night.

Goni said the terrorists abandoned their enclaves and laid down their arms following sustained military pressure across the theatre of operations.

According to him, the latest surrender represents another major breakthrough in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign against Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.

“The Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, has continued to record significant operational successes in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists through sustained operations backed by credible, timely and actionable intelligence,” the statement said.

Goni said the surrendered ISWAP leaders are key members of the terrorist network who were forced out by relentless military operations.

He added that the suspects are currently being held in a secure location, where they are undergoing profiling, debriefing and other established procedures in line with operational protocols.

“Within the last week alone, a total of 76 terrorist foot soldiers with some families surrendered to troops,” he said.

The military spokesman said the development underscored the impact of the sustained offensive by Operation Hadin Kai, which he said had continued to dismantle terrorist strongholds, disrupt command and logistics structures and deny insurgents freedom of action across the North-East.

He said persistent military operations had degraded the terrorists’ combat capabilities and weakened confidence within their ranks and leadership.

Goni added that the latest gains showed the effectiveness of the Nigerian military’s counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency strategy, which combines precision combat operations, intelligence-led engagements and coordinated joint efforts with partners.

He assured that Operation Hadin Kai remained committed to defeating terrorism and restoring lasting peace and security across the North-East.

“The pressure on the remaining terrorist elements will continue unabated until they are completely neutralised or forced to surrender,” the statement added.