The Nigerian military has announced the surrender of top Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) leaders, alongside 76 fighters and some of their family members, following ongoing military operations in the North-East.
Captain Muhammad Goni, Acting Military Information Officer of Headquarters Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, disclosed this in a statement.
Goni said the insurgents abandoned their enclaves and laid down their arms following sustained pressure from Operation HADIN KAI troops.
He described the development as a major achievement, adding that the group included senior ISWAP commanders who surrendered after intense military operations.
He said the surrendered fighters are currently being held at a secure location where they are undergoing profiling, debriefing and other procedures in line with established operational protocols.
“Among those who surrendered are key members of the terrorist network due to relentless military pressure. They are currently in a secure location undergoing profiling, debriefing and other established procedures in accordance with extant operational protocols,” he said.
Goni confirmed that 76 terrorist foot soldiers, accompanied by some of their family members, surrendered to troops deployed across the North-East theatre of operations within the last week.
He praised Operation HADIN KAI troops, saying the surrender was linked to sustained offensives that have weakened terrorist positions, disrupted their command structures and restricted their movement across the region.
He added that the military operations have reduced the terrorists’ combat capabilities and weakened confidence among their ranks.
Goni said the successes showed improvements in the Nigerian military’s counter-terrorism operations, combining combat missions, intelligence activities and joint operations with security partners.
He warned that pressure would continue against remaining terrorist elements until they are neutralised or surrender.
“The pressure on the remaining terrorist elements will continue unabated until they are completely neutralised or forced to surrender,” Goni said.
