Two more ISWAP commanders surrender to troops

Two more senior commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), in what the military described as another major blow to the terrorist group operating in the Northeast.

The latest surrender comes just days after several ISWAP commanders and a gunboat operator laid down their arms following sustained military offensives across the theatre of operations.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Acting Media Information Officer of OPHK, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the two commanders, identified as Munzirs within the group’s leadership structure, surrendered to troops of Sector 2 in Geidam, Yobe State, on July 4.

He said the suspects arrived in Maiduguri at about 7:30 a.m. on July 5 and are currently in military custody, undergoing profiling, debriefing and intelligence exploitation.

According to Goni, preliminary interrogation revealed that the surrendered commanders held influential positions within the terrorist organisation and possessed extensive knowledge of its operations, command structure and logistics network.

“Initial intelligence obtained from the debriefing has provided valuable insights into the terrorists’ operational methods, sustainment mechanisms and support networks.

Goni noted that the surrender of the two commanders represents another significant setback for ISWAP and underscores the effectiveness of sustained offensive operations by Operation Hadin Kai in collaboration with other security partners.

He said the combined land and air offensives, supported by enhanced intelligence gathering, have continued to restrict the terrorists’ freedom of movement, degrade their combat capability and weaken their command and control structures.