Troops Rescue Mother, Infant After Escape from Terrorist Enclave in Mandara Mountains
Troops Rescue Mother, Infant After Escape from Terrorist Enclave in Mandara Mountains
Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, have rescued a woman and her infant son after they escaped from a terrorist enclave in the Mandara Mountains following sustained military offensives in the area.
The victims, identified as Mrs Maryam Muhammad, 20, and her one-year, four-month-old son, Bello Muhammad, were rescued during offensive operations conducted by troops in the Amuda general area under Operation DESERT SANITY V/SIEGE OPERATIONS.
Military authorities disclosed that the mother and child were among civilians abducted during a terrorist attack on Ngoshe community on March 3, 2026.
According to preliminary debriefing by troops, the victims had been held captive at a terrorist enclave within the Mandara Mountains but managed to escape after intense fire missions on terrorist hideouts forced their captors to flee.
Following initial medical assessment, the rescued mother and child were safely reunited with their family members through the Ngoshe community leadership.
In a related development, troops deployed at Wulgo and the proposed Combat Outpost (COP) Jagarawaji, in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, carried out offensive operations across Wulgo, Gumsari and Hausari general areas.
During the operations, troops discovered several indicators of terrorist activities and logistics, including makeshift medical facilities equipped with transfusion materials and antibiotics, rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, and a uniform belonging to a terrorist Amir.
Troops also neutralised one terrorist during the operation, while no casualty was recorded among military personnel.
Meanwhile, sustained military pressure within the theatre has continued to force family members of terrorists to flee insurgent enclaves and surrender to troops.
At the Gwoza axis, a female family member of a terrorist, identified as Ghwa’a Biwa, 50, escaped from a camp in the Mandara Mountains and surrendered to troops of the 192 Battalion, citing persistent military offensives and lack of basic necessities in the camps as reasons for her decision.
Similarly, another escapee, Binta Umaru, 19, alongside her two-year-old daughter, Hafsat Ibrahim, surrendered to troops deployed along the Gwoza–Limankara road after fleeing another terrorist enclave in the Mandara Mountains.
The military said all surrendered individuals had been screened, documented and were undergoing further profiling in line with established operational procedures.
Operation HADIN KAI said the latest developments underscore the effectiveness of sustained offensive operations and the gradual weakening of terrorist support structures in the North East, particularly around the Mandara Mountains and border communities.
The military high command commended troops for their operational performance and urged them to sustain the momentum in the collective interest of national security and lasting peace in the region.
By TimesNG