No fewer than 386 people, mostly women and children, have been rescued by the Nigerian Army from Sambisa Forest, a decade after their abduction.
Brig. Gen. AGL Haruna, the acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, announced this while addressing newsmen on the outskirts of Sambisa Forest in Konduga LGA, following the return of troops from the 10-day operation.
Haruna stated that the operation, tagged “Operation Desert Sanity 111,” aimed to clear Sambisa Forest of the remnants of all categories of terrorists and provide an opportunity for those eager to surrender.
“Our effort is to ensure that we clear remnants of terrorists in the Sambisa and give those willing to surrender the opportunity to surrender,” Haruna said.
“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.”
The GOC, relaying the message of the Chief of Army Staff, commended the troops for their performance and professionalism during the operation and urged them to maintain the momentum.
Some of those rescued shared that they had been in captivity for the past 10 years.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that troops from the 21 Special Armoured Brigade, 26 Task Force Brigade, and 199 Special Forces participated in the operation.
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