Monday, June 29, 2026 - Sustained offensive operations by troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have continued to yield significant results, with a fresh group of senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders surrendering to the military amid intensified counter-terrorism operations across the North-East.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the latest
surrender involved key figures within the terrorist network who abandoned their
enclaves following weeks of sustained military offensives, precision strikes
and intelligence-driven operations that have continued to degrade the group’s
operational capabilities.
The sources said the surrendered commanders are currently
being held at a secure military facility, where they are undergoing profiling,
intelligence debriefing and other procedures in line with established
operational protocols.
Although security authorities have not disclosed the
identities of the surrendered commanders for operational reasons, their
defection is regarded as another major setback for ISWAP’s leadership structure
and a reflection of the increasing pressure being mounted by troops across the
theatre.
Military sources attributed the development to the
relentless tempo of Operation HADIN KAI, which has intensified coordinated land
and air operations targeting terrorist enclaves, logistics bases, supply routes
and command centres across Borno and other parts of the North-East.
According to the sources, the sustained campaign has
significantly reduced the terrorists’ freedom of movement, disrupted their
logistics chain and weakened their ability to organise large-scale attacks,
forcing many fighters and commanders to reconsider their continued
participation in the insurgency.
The latest surrender comes barely days after scores of
terrorists laid down their arms in different locations within the
theatre.
Within the past week alone, military records indicate that
no fewer than 76 terrorist fighters, alongside some of their family members,
voluntarily surrendered to troops operating under Operation HADIN KAI.
Security analysts believe the increasing number of surrenders is linked to the cumulative effects of sustained military pressure, worsening living conditions within terrorist camps, dwindling supplies and growing internal distrust among insurgent ranks.
Recent intelligence has also pointed to increasing divisions within ISWAP’s leadership, with disagreements over operational decisions, dwindling resources and command authority contributing to declining morale among fighters.
Military authorities maintain that the current operational
strategy, which combines precision combat operations, intelligence-led
targeting, air interdiction missions and close collaboration among security and
intelligence agencies, is steadily reducing the operational space available to
terrorist groups across the North-East.
The latest development is expected to provide valuable
intelligence that could support ongoing operations, as surrendered commanders
may possess critical information on the group’s leadership structure, logistics
network, recruitment channels, planned attacks and locations of remaining
enclaves.
Operation HADIN KAI has reiterated its commitment to
sustaining the current operational momentum until all terrorist elements are
either neutralised or compelled to surrender, stressing that ongoing offensives
will continue across all identified hideouts in the North-East.
Military sources said troops remain focused on consolidating
recent gains while intensifying pressure on the remaining insurgent elements to
further degrade their capabilities and restore lasting peace and security
across the region.
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