Nigerian troops have killed 86 terrorists and arrested 101 in a series of raids across the country over the past week, Director of Defence Media Operations Edward Buba announced on Thursday.
Speaking to journalists in the capital, Abuja, Major General Buba also said troops had rescued 21 kidnapped hostages during the raids.
“Pursuant to our goal, troops have in the last one week, focused on striking the terrorist enclaves from our air attacks. We also exerted significant military power on areas in which the terrorists are hibernating,” he was quoted by local media as saying.
The military spokesman noted that troops had seized illegal stockpiles including “65 AK47 rifles, one HK G3 dun, one G3 rifle, 8 locally fabricated guns” and various other firearms.
Buba pledged that the army will continue to crack down on illegal armed formations during 2024, destroying their strongholds, and urged citizens to provide tip-offs to support the forces’ work.
Northeast Nigeria has been plagued by a jihadist insurgency for the past 14 years. According to AfricaNews, at least 40,000 people have been killed by militant groups since 2009, and two million people have been displaced.