Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Abuja, yesterday, said the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) is committed to end terrorism and insurgency in the country, as it has neutralised 151 terrorists and arrested 456 others.

During the bi-weekly Defence Media Operations (DMO) report on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, the Director, Defence Media Operation (DMO), Maj-Gen. Edward Buba, said the ongoing operations across the six geopolitical zones reflect the commitment of the military to end terrorism and insurgency in the country.

Buba disclosed that in the course of the operations in the last one week, the “military neutralised 151 terrorists, arrested 456 terrorists and 45 perpetrators of oil theft” in the Niger Delta region.

According to him, troops also rescued 76 kidnapped hostages.

HOWEVER, an ambush by Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists along Maiduguri-Damasak Road in Borno State, yesterday, claimed one life, leaving five injured.

The incident, reportedly, occurred when a commercial vehicle ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Mobbar Local Council. It was suspected that this IED was strategically planted by ISWAP terrorists with the intention of launching a subsequent gun attack.

The commercial vehicle was also damaged beyond repairs. Responding to the road ambush, troops of the 5 Brigade, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) initiated fighting clearance patrols to secure the road and community.They successfully cleared the scene, ensuring the safety of the remaining passengers and recovered both the body of the deceased and injured passengers and transported them to Gubio town.

While recovering the victims of the ambush, a skirmish ensued as the troops engaged in a firefight with the terrorists who had lurked in the community.

As the firefight continued, the terrorists managed to escape the scene using a single vehicle and several motorcycles.The exact number of casualties is yet unconfirmed.