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The military high command said it established Sector 4 under Operation Hadin Kai in Adamawa State to block terrorist movement between Borno and the northern part of Adamawa State.
The Theatre Commander Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said this when he received Defence Correspondents in his office in Maiduguri, Borno State.
According to him, Operation Hadin Kai initially had three sectors; however, a fourth was later established to strengthen the fight against terrorists by enabling a rapid troop response to threats in northern Adamawa State.
He said, “There is a village in Northern Adamawa, which is just 50 kilometers from Borno, but it took our troops almost five hours to get to that community. It’s virtually inaccessible.
“Basically, we are trying to block the link between northern Adamawa and southern Borno. Right now, the sector is doing a lot to make sure that isolated communities are protected. And most of these communities are vulnerable.
“So daily, the sector is on top of its game to make sure that we’re able to protect this community.”
The Theater Commander noted that it was practically impossible to deploy everywhere, but strategically deployed troops based on threat assessment.
“So, daily, the sector is on top of its game to ensure that we can protect this community.”
“We do a review every day to see how we can do our best to protect these communities,” he said.
Addressing concerns about a perceived resurgence of terrorism after the recent suicide bombing in Maiduguri, General Abubakar described it as ‘the kick of a dying horse.”
He said the terrorists resort to desperate tactics when they are unable to match the military’s capacity in kinetic operations.
Abubakar said, “They resort to suicide bombing and also the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) when they see that they cannot match our capacity in kinetic operations. It’s like the kick of a dying horse. And we’re very deliberate in quickly nipping that in the bud.
“Consequent to the suicide bombing incident in the mosque in Maiduguri, we have arrested 15 would-be suicide bombers. We have neutralized three. And we’re able to even get the mastermind of that suicide bombing, who was living like a normal human being in the metropolises.”
On the use of armed drones by terrorists, the Theatre Commander explained that ISWAP obtains the technology through its connections with international terror groups, including ISIS in Libya, Syria, and other regions. He emphasized that the military has successfully neutralized many of these drones.
According to him, the military has evolved a standard operating procedure on how to combat this menace.
“We have also invested in technical equipment. But an armed drone does not have one solution. You also realize that if you talk about Ukraine and Russia for now, with the level of advancement of these countries in technology, there are still armed drone attacks there.
“There are multiple ways that you need to come up with to curtail this, and we are doing so in the theater,” he said.
