Mohammed Shosanya
Troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces (AFN) have killed 2,245 terrorists, arrested 3,682 and rescued 1,993 kidnapped victims in the second quarter of the 2024.
The military authority also said troops have greatly degraded the terrorist, even though they are still present in the theatres of operation.
It said :”It would take time and effort to completely destroy these terrorists, particularly as counter insurgency is akin to a marathon not a sprint.”
Addressing newsmen on the operational effectiveness and successes of the ongoing counter terrorism operations across the country, in the second quarter of the year, Director, Defence Media Operations (DMO), Major General Edward Buba said the resolve of the armed forces is very clear.
“It is to destroy the terrorist and dismantle their military capabilities in order for citizens to be safe.
“It is safe to say that the terrorist have prioritised their military capability over everything else. This is because as our forces advance and clear areas in which these terrorist hibernate, we continue to recover weapons, explosives and IEDs which are indicative of the priorities of the terrorist.
“Nevertheless, we continue to wipe out the terrorists through synchronised ground and air operations.”
He disclosed that, “Troops are actively fighting in different forms and retain operational flexibility which gives us the ability to respond to different events and to project forces according to strategic needs.”
He said, “During the second quarter of this year, troops neutralized 2,245 terrorists, arrested 3,682 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements as well as rescued 1,993 kidnapped hostages.
“Furthermore, troops recovered 2,783 weapons, 64,547 ammunitions and denied the oil theft of an estimated sum over N10 bn (N10,533,131,470.00) only.
“Breakdown for the period includes and is not limited to the following: 1,169 AK47 rifles, 36,273 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 14,764 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 713 assorted arms and 9,850 assorted ammo.
“Others are 9,225,149 litres of stolen crude oil, 2,874,916 litres of illegally refined AGO, 29,900 litres of DPK and 31,380 litres of PMS amongst other item.
“Troops operations are continually assessed in order to make adjustments in our actions, thereby amending our operations to increasingly ensure we minimize civilian casualties. Our operations are progressing according to plan e en as we abide International laws governing armed conflict.”
The Director said, “We will do everything within the bounds of the law to make our nation safe for citizens.
The military will keep up with the fighting spirit and maintain the stamina in the frontlines. Our pride is to risk our life’s, to safe the life’s of our citizens. This is what we do to secure our country.