Nigerian troops free 47 hostages from ISWAP in North East region

Abuja, June 23 (IANS) Nigerian troops have freed at least 47 people, mostly women and children, held hostage by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during a recent operation in the country’s northeastern state of Borno, the military said on Tuesday.

The victims were rescued following sustained operations by troops in Kangarwa, a town believed to host an ISWAP enclave in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, as part of an intensified onslaught against ISWAP strongholds in the Lake Chad region, according to a military statement which did not specify the exact date of the operation, Xinhua news agency reported.

The military said the rescue was made possible through coordinated ground and air assaults that forced the militants to abandon their positions, creating an opportunity for the captives to escape after prolonged detention.

All rescued individuals have been taken to a secure location to receive medical attention, while arrangements are underway to provide humanitarian assistance and facilitate family reunification, the statement added.

In May, more than 175 ISIS militants were eliminated on the battlefield.

“The joint strikes destroyed checkpoints, weapons depots, logistics centres, military equipment, and the headquarters of financial networks used to support terrorist operations,” Nigeria’s army spokesman Samaila Uba said in a statement on May 19.

Since 2009, the jihadist insurgency led by Boko Haram and subsequently the ISWAP has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over two million people in the northeast of the country, according to the United Nations, Adnkronos news agency reported.

Military cooperation between Abuja and Washington has been intensifying for several months.

“The Nigerians have played a crucial role over the past few months: they identified the target, helped us gather intelligence, and provided the support necessary to complete this mission,” AFRICOM Commander Dagvin Anderson told a congressional hearing in Washington.

On May 15, US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the IS leader had been killed in a joint operation by US and Nigerian forces.

“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” Trump stated.

–IANS

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