In a major humanitarian victory, the Nigerian Army has rescued 386 civilians, primarily women and children, from the notorious Sambisa forest. These individuals had been held captive for a decade by terrorist groups operating in the region.
The acting General Officer Commanding of the 7th Division, Brigadier General Alhasan Haruna, stated that the operation aimed to eliminate remaining terrorist elements in the forest and provide a path for those seeking 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 stated, not specifying the terrorists' affiliation to any particular group.
The official added, “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.”
Sambisa forest in northeastern Nigeria near Konduga locality, Borno State, is one of the terrorists' strongholds. Survivors, recounting their harrowing experiences, confirmed they had been held captive for 10 years.