Get Guardian on GoogleSustained military offensives by troops of Operation HADIN KAI have forced several members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including top commanders, to surrender in Nigeria’s North-East theatre of operations.
The development was disclosed in a military statement issued on Sunday, which said the terrorists surrendered on June 28, 2026, after weeks of coordinated air and ground offensives that significantly degraded the group’s operational capabilities.
According to the military, the intensified operations disrupted ISWAP’s logistics network, command structure and movement corridors across the region, leaving many fighters with little option but to abandon their camps and surrender.
The statement said the surrendered commanders are undergoing profiling and intelligence debriefing, describing the development as a significant blow to the terrorist group’s leadership and operational capacity.
Military authorities disclosed that no fewer than 76 terrorists and their family members have surrendered within the past week, attributing the development to sustained military pressure, worsening conditions in insurgent camps and growing internal divisions within the group.
The military said intelligence being provided by the surrendered commanders is expected to strengthen ongoing counter-insurgency operations by helping troops identify remaining terrorist enclaves, locate hidden arms caches, disrupt supply routes and track key insurgent leaders still operating in the region.
It added that the latest wave of surrenders reflects the continued impact of Operation HADIN KAI’s intensified campaign against terrorist groups in the North-East.
The military reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the current operational tempo, stressing that troops would continue offensive operations until terrorism is decisively defeated and lasting peace and stability are restored across the North-East.
