By HEADLINENEWS.NEWS correspondent
No fewer than 386 people, mostly women and children, have been rescued by the Nigerian Army in Sambisa forest 10 years after their abduction.
The acting GOC 7 Division, Brig. Gen. AGL Haruna, made this known while speaking to newsmen at the outskirts of Sambisa forest in Konduga LGA after welcoming the troops that conducted the 10-day operation.
Haruna said that the operation tagged “Operation Desert Sanity 111” was to clear Sambisa forest of the remnants of all categories of terrorists, as well as provide some of them, eager to surrender as observed, the opportunity to do so.
“Our effort is to ensure that we clear remnants of terrorists in the Sambisa and give those willing to surrender the opportunity to surrender.
“With this operation, we envisage many of them will surrender as they have started.
“We also rescued some civilians; as of yesterday, we rescued 386 and I am sure the number will increase by today,” Haruna said.
The GOC, who addressed the troops on the message of the Chief of Army Staff, lauded their performance and professionalism exhibited during the operation and urged them to sustain the tempo.
Some of those rescued, who spoke, said they have been in captivity for the past 10 years.
It was gathered that the troops from 21 Special Armoured Brigade, 26 Task Force Brigade, and 199 Special Forces participated in the operation.
This comes two days after Nigerian troops killed 227 terrorists, apprehended 529 and rescued 253 kidnapped victims in ground and air operations across the country.
The troops recovered 231 assorted weapons and 6,441 assorted ammunition, comprising 89 AK47 rifles, 40 locally fabricated gun, 59 dane guns, 250kg bombs used by NATO and Eastern Bloc aircraft and one MRAP in the course of the operations.
Also recovered by the troops were: 4,198 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 841 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 88 rounds of 5.56mm, 16 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm, 99 rounds of 7.62x51mm, 956 rounds of 7.62x54mm, 242 live cartridges, one PKM magazine, 24 magazines among others
Giving the breakdown of the operations of the Armed Forces across the country in one week, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations said
in the North East, the troops of Operation Hadin Kai neutralised 83 terrorists, arrested 59 suspects and rescued 58 kidnapped hostages as well as recovered large cache of arms.
He said that 219 terrorist comprising 29 adult males, 65 adult females and 125 children surrendered to troops within the theatre of operations between May 8 and 14.
In the North Central, Buba said the troops of Operations Safe Haven and Whirle Stroke, neutralised 27 insurgents, arrested 154 violent extremists and rescued 42 kidnapped hostages.
In the North West, he said the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, also neutralised 58 terrorists, arrested 125 terrorists and rescued 105 kidnapped hostages.
Buba said the air component had on May 8, bombarded a new terrorists’ enclave in Faskari area of Katsina State following intelligence trail and confirmatory ISR on migration of notorious terrorists’ elements to the deserted settlement.
According to him, battle damage assessment revealed that several terrorists were neutralised and their structures as well as logistics destroyed
He added that troops of Operation Whirl Punch apprehended 68 illegal miners from an illegal mining site in Gwagwalada Area Council of FCT Abuja during the week.
He said that the troops also neutralised 25 terrorists, arrested 97 suspects and rescued 32 kidnapped hostages.
He also said that in the South South, troops of Operation Delta Safe recovered 1,442,700 litres of stolen crude oil and 154,650 litres of illegally refined AGO.
According to him, troops discovered and destroyed 18 dugout pits, 34 boats, five drums, four receiver, four reservoirs and 97 storage tanks.
”Other items recovered include 198 cooking ovens, nine vehicles, three pumping machines, two speedboats, one baofeng radio, one outboard engine and 57 illegal refining sites.
”Troops also neutralised three extremists and apprehended 16 suspected oil thieves and other violent extremists’’.
In the South East, Buba said the troops of Operation UDO KA neutralised 21 terrorists, arrested 45 violent extremists and rescued 12 kidnapped hostages as well as recovered cache of arms.
