Nigeria military neutralizes 2,245 terrorists in 3 months

ABUJA, Nigeria

The Nigerian military neutralized 2,245 terrorists in operations against Boko Haram and the ISWAP, the West African branch of the ISIS/Daesh, in the last three months, an official said Friday.

Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, director of defense media operations, said operations were conducted against the terror groups in various states of the country from April - June.

Additionally, Buba said 1,993 individuals who were kidnapped for ransom were rescued during the operations, and 2,783 weapons and a significant amount of ammunition belonging to the terrorists were seized.

Nigeria recently faced attacks from armed gangs, including Boko Haram and ISWAP, in different regions of the country.

Despite there being the death penalty for kidnapping in Nigeria, ransom kidnappings are frequent.

Armed groups typically target villages, schools and travelers in the northern parts of the country, demanding ransom.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul