How US Partnership Is Helping Nigerian Troops Neutralise Boko Haram – Theatre Commander

The Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has disclosed that the Nigerian military is relying on intelligence support from the United States to intensify its campaign against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the North East.

Abubakar made the disclosure while briefing Defence Correspondents during their visit to Maiduguri, noting that the partnership has provided critical intelligence that is helping security forces achieve greater operational success.

He said: “A key point in this brief is that we are leveraging our current partnership with the United States. It is on the basis of credible and invaluable intelligence that we are working to bring this battle to a favourable conclusion in the shortest possible time.

“We get high-level intelligence, which has actually added impetus to the conduct of our operations. I am sure in the media space, you read that 40 terrorists have been taken out. This is because a lot of airstrikes and ground operations are going on in the hinterland, in the Sambisa Forest, and the entire Timbuktu Triangle.”

The commander said the troops had been directed to carry out aggressive kinetic operations, leading to the neutralisation of several top insurgent figures.

According to him, 54 key Boko Haram commanders have been eliminated, including Abu Fatima, who was once placed on a ₦100 million wanted list.

“We are seriously involved in what we call terrorist leaders’ decapitation operations,” he said.

READ ALSO: Boko Haram Fighters Surrender As Army Kill Scores In Borno Operation

“What this means is that we try to attack the command and control system of the adversary. We try to take out the key leaders. This will further weaken the decision-making circle of the terrorists over time because once the leadership is affected, the whole structure is almost gone.

“That is why intelligence is very important.”

Abubakar further revealed that in 2025 alone, at least 16,000 Boko Haram suspects and their families surrendered to the military, attributing the development to sustained pressure from security operations.

He said the mass surrender has contributed to improved security and better living conditions in the region.

“This is because when you keep the terrorists on the back foot, you ensure that citizens can sleep with both eyes closed,” General Abubakar said.

On challenges facing the military, the commander identified local collaborators as a major obstacle, explaining that they help terrorists obtain supplies and logistical support.

He said the army is countering this through a special offensive known as “Logistics Strangulation Operation.”

He said: “This is to, as much as possible, tie the noose around the logistic chain of the terrorists. Because if they don’t have logistics, they cannot operate.”

“For instance in this month alone, through this operation, we have recovered over 10,000 petroleum products and lubricants from collaborators.”

Abubakar stressed that the role of collaborators has made the fight more complex, insisting that cutting off their support is crucial to ending the insurgency.

“Terrorists cannot survive without collaborators.

“So as we used to say, if you want to battle the insurgency, you need to separate the fish from the water, the population from the terrorists.

“And that is one major problem that we are trying to solve here by continual sensitisation and stakeholder engagement,” the Theater Commander said.