The Nigerian military says troops of the Joint Task Force, North East, under Operation Hadin Kai, have killed 438 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists within seven months of sustained operations across the region.
The Theatre Commander, North-east Sector 1, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, disclosed this on Saturday during a Christmas luncheon with troops in Maiduguri, Borno State.
According to him, the coordinated operations, carried out between May and December, also led to the recovery of a large cache of arms and equipment as well as the rescue of civilians held by the insurgents.
“In the course of our operations, troops neutralised 438 Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists,” Abubakar said. “We also recovered 254 assorted weapons, 300 Starlink communication devices, and successfully rescued 366 civilians from terrorist enclaves.”
The theatre commander added that the military recorded significant progress through mass surrenders by insurgents and their families.
“The surrender of 881 JAS and ISWAP fighters, alongside their families, further underscores the gains we have made in degrading terrorist capacity in the theatre,” he noted.
Abubakar explained that the Christmas celebration coincided with the military’s ongoing dry season operations, stressing that troops remained focused on sustaining pressure on terrorist groups.
He assured the Chief of Army Staff of the continued commitment of personnel in the Joint Operations Area, describing them as determined and resilient.
“The successes recorded so far are also a result of the strategic interventions and support of the Chief of Army Staff,” he said, adding that troops would maintain the tempo of operations to ensure lasting peace in the North East.
The military had earlier announced that troops of Operation Hadin Kai recently repelled a coordinated ISWAP attack on a Forward Operating Base in Mairari, Borno State, killing several insurgents during the encounter.
