The Defense Headquarters says that the armed forces troops eliminated more than 50 terrorists in various operations in the Northeast and Northwest theaters of operations in three weeks.

The Director, Defense Means Operations, Gen.-Gen. Musa Danmadami made this known while briefing journalists on the operations of the armed forces across the country on Thursday in Abuja.

Danmadami said that the Operation Hadin Kai troop eliminated between Dec. 30 and Jan. 12 no less than 25 Boko Haram and Islamic State terrorists from West Africa Province in the northeast.

It said the troops also apprehended 18 terrorists and 21 logistics providers, two foreign informants and five hijackers across the theater during the period.

Danmadami said the troops also rescued 47 kidnapped civilians, while a total of 377 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and their family members, including 52 adult men, 126 adult women and 199 children, surrendered to the troops.

He said that all the recovered items, detained criminals and rescued civilians have been handed over to the proper authority for further action.

“Captured terrorists and those who turned themselves in with their family members are being profiled for further action.

“Cumulatively, in the last three weeks, troops recovered 21 AK47 rifles, four FN rifles, three locally made pump-action pistols, five locally made pistols, and three PKT machine guns.

“Other items recovered are 124 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 139 rounds of 7.62mm special, 29 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, 140mm bomb.

“Also recovered were 1 UXO 81mm mortar bomb, three RPG tubes and bombs, 36 hand grenades, five Dane pistols and five FN magazines, 19 Automotive Gas Oil drums and five Premium Motor Spirit drums.

“10 bags of assorted grains, 10 boxes of soft drinks, 150 pieces of used clothing, 50 pieces of women’s cloth, 50 children’s clothing, and 30 pairs of women’s shoes were also recovered.

“Other items include, textile materials, medical supplies, 21 motorcycles, 16 bicycles, two crushing machines, a tanker truck loaded with PMS, 30 cattle, the sum of N938, 580.00 and other miscellaneous items,” it said.

Danmadami said the series of aerial interdiction operations on the terrorists’ hideouts, enclaves and camps also killed dozens of terrorists and destroyed their enclaves in Borno and the Lake Chad area.

He said the battle damage assessment revealed that several terrorists were neutralized with their structures destroyed in the attacks.

In the northwest, Danmadami said the ground and air component of Operation Hadin Daji had held offensive operations on terrorist enclaves, camps and hideouts within the area.

He said that the troops in the period neutralized 25 terrorists, detained 19 and rescued 68 civilians, while dozens of other terrorists were killed in aerial interdiction operations.

Danmadami said the troops had carried out a dawn attack on the Sunke and Gado forest terrorist crossing points in the Anka local government area of ​​Zamfara between January 7 and 8, killing 10 terrorists, recovering a cache of weapons and other items.

The defense spokesman said the troops also detained a terrorist collaborator in Madachi in the Dandume local government area of ​​Katsina state at a checkpoint to the tune of N1.5 million.

According to him, the suspect revealed that he was sent by a certain Nasiru, a notorious terrorist on the wanted list of security agents.

“Nasiru was responsible for the murder of several locals in the Birni Gwari Local Government Area of ​​Kaduna State.

“Furthermore, between December 27 and 31, the air component carried out a series of air interdiction operations at the terrorists’ hideout in Kaduna and Zamfara that inflated the terrorists’ casualties.

“In particular, on December 31, a well-planned and coordinated aerial interdiction operation was carried out at the hideout of Dankarami, a notorious and wanted identified terrorist leader, along the Kaura Namoda road in the local government area of Zurmi in Zamfara.

“After the airstrike, comments revealed that several of his foot soldiers were taken out, while Dankarami himself escaped with serious injuries,” he said.

YAYA