Nigerian troops have killed at least 37 Boko Haram terrorists and arrested 13 logistics suppliers for the Islamic State West Africa Province* (ISWAP) affiliated with Daesh* in the northeast of the country, local media has reported.
The militants were killed as a result of a raid carried out by the troops on terrorists' camps in the villages of Kayamari, Habasha and Yuwe, located in Konduga area of Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. Several towns in the area have long been one of the largest logistics supply hubs for the Boko Haram and ISWAP.
The soldiers encountered the militants during their counter-offensive patrol that resulted in a heavy gun battle. According to media reports, among those who were killed was a senior Boko Haram commander, Abu Illiya.
The raid comes as troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) intensify their operations against the terrorists in the Lake Chad Basin region.
On Wednesday, Lt. Col. Kamarudeen Adegoke, the head of the MNJTF's military public information office, said that a number of clearance and stabilization operations had recently been conducted with the intention of eliminating the terrorists and denying them freedom of movement in order to restore normalcy to the Lake Chad Basin region.
MNJTF soldiers engaged in ambush operations in Kolofata-Kirawa in the Cameroon axis to cut off the insurgents' supply line. One terrorist was reportedly apprehended as a result of this. A large number of food supplies were also found, while several terrorists who may have been shot fled the scene.
Benisheikh and Jakana had for many years remained some of the largest logistics supply hubs for the Boko Haram and ISWAP.
According to Nigerian authorities, the rebels who have been causing problems in various regions of the nation since 2009 have been virtually annihilated and no longer have a stronghold.
Since the fight against the militants began, more than 65,000 people have died. Additionally, 2.1 million displaced people have been housed in several camps across the nation, according to the UN IOM data.
The mainstays of the residents of the Lake Chad region, as well as those who reside along the borders of Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, are agriculture and fishing, which have been negatively impacted by the insurgency.
* terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other states