Military Launches Major Offensive Against Terrorists Across North-West

The Joint Task Force North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma, has launched a major new offensive against terrorists and armed criminal groups operating across the region.

Codenamed Operation Clean Sweep IV, the operation involves coordinated ground and air assaults aimed at dismantling terrorist networks, disrupting their movements and logistics, and preventing them from establishing new bases in communities across the North-West.

The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.

Danja said troops from Sector 2 carried out a clearance operation on Wednesday around suspected terrorist enclaves in Dutsinma Local Government Area of Katsina State.

According to him, the operation forced the terrorists to abandon their positions and retreat into surrounding bushes, while troops continued clearance operations in the area.

In Zamfara State, the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma conducted precision airstrikes against terrorists reportedly gathering on motorcycles in Anka Local Government Area.

Danja said the strikes neutralised scores of terrorists, while surviving fighters abandoned their motorcycles and fled into nearby bushes. Air assets later located and engaged some of the remaining terrorists.

A major objective of the operation is to dismantle the Lakurawa terrorist network and prevent its infiltration and reinforcement into Nigeria.

The military also aims to deny terrorists access to border areas, which they allegedly use for movement, logistics and the establishment of operational enclaves.

Danja added that the operation would target terrorist activities around the River Niger axis and Kainji Lake National Park, preventing the areas from being used as launching points for attacks on communities in the North-West.

He said the launch of Operation Clean Sweep IV demonstrated the military’s determination to maintain sustained pressure on terrorists and criminal groups operating across the region.

The Theatre Command, he added, remains committed to protecting civilian communities, safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity and preventing terrorists from regrouping, reinforcing their ranks or establishing operational footholds in the North-West.