Troops Rescue Six Women, Children in Borno’s Mandara Mountains, Neutralise Terrorist

Troops Rescue Six Women, Children in Borno’s Mandara Mountains, Neutralise Terrorist

By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri

Troops of the North-East Joint Task Force under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), operating within Operation Desert Sanity V/Siege Operations, have rescued six women and children during intensified clearance operations around the Amuda axis of the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

Military authorities confirmed that among those rescued were Maryam Muhammad (20), Ghawa’a Biea (50)—a woman who escaped from terrorist captivity—and Binta Umaru (19), alongside other women and children recovered during separate but coordinated operations in the area.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Maiduguri, the OPHK Media Information Officer, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, said troops have continued sustained offensive and stabilisation operations across the theatre, leading to the rescue of abducted civilians, neutralisation of insurgents, and increasing surrender of relatives of terrorist fighters.

According to him, troops conducting operations in the Amuda general area intercepted and rescued two abductees from Ngoshe community—Maryam Muhammad and her infant son, Bello Muhammad (1 year, 4 months)—who were among those kidnapped during the 3 March 2026 attack on Ngoshe.

Preliminary military debrief indicated that the victims were held in a terrorist hideout within the Mandara Mountains before escaping amid heavy pressure from ongoing military offensives that disrupted insurgent positions. The rescued victims were later given medical attention and reunited with their families through community leadership structures in Ngoshe.

In another development, troops operating around Wulgo and the proposed COP Jagarawaji, in collaboration with Civilian Joint Task Force members, conducted clearance operations across Wulgo, Gumsari, and Hausari general areas. During the raids, troops uncovered indicators of terrorist presence, including makeshift medical facilities, pharmaceutical supplies, 7.62mm ammunition, and a uniform believed to belong to a terrorist commander.

The operation also led to the neutralisation of one insurgent, with no casualties recorded on the side of government forces.

Meanwhile, sustained military pressure has continued to force relatives of insurgents to abandon enclaves. In Gwoza axis, Ghawa’a Biwa (50) reportedly escaped from a terrorist camp in the Mandara Mountains and surrendered to troops of the 192 Battalion, citing hunger, hardship, and continuous military operations as reasons for her decision.

Similarly, Binta Umaru (19) and her two-year-old daughter, Hafsat Ibrahim, also fled another enclave within the Mandara Mountains and surrendered along the Gwoza–Limankara axis. All surrendered individuals have been screened, documented, and are undergoing further profiling in line with established military procedures.

Military authorities say the developments reflect the growing collapse of terrorist logistics and family support structures in the region, particularly within the Mandara Mountains and border communities.

The Joint Task Force reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining operational pressure on insurgents, rescuing abducted civilians, and restoring lasting peace and stability across the North-East.

The Military High Command also commended frontline troops for their performance, urging them to sustain the momentum in the ongoing counterterrorism operations.