Nigerian Army has revealed the identities of four senior commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and three foreign terrorist facilitators allegedly involved in a failed attack on Cross Kauwa community in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

This followed an intelligence led operation by troops of Operation Hadin Kai, who successfully repelled the attempted infiltration and recovered critical materials from the terrorists.

Acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said investigations linked the operation to senior ISWAP figures and foreign nationals providing strategic support to the terrorist group.

According to Goni, intelligence extracted from a camcorder recovered during the operation exposed the identities and roles of the suspects.

“The presence and active involvement of these foreign nationals further reinforces intelligence assessments that ISWAP continues to benefit from external support, specialist expertise and transnational terrorist linkages,” he said.

The Army identified one of the foreign facilitators as Abu Ishaq, a Palestinian Arab reportedly serving as a chief trainer for the group, while another, Abu Thaiba, is said to be a Moroccan national working as a medical doctor within the insurgent network.

The identity of a third foreign operative is yet to be confirmed.

Military authorities also disclosed that preliminary findings suggest the terrorists intended to loot cholera related medical supplies, lending credence to reports of a disease outbreak within insurgent camps in the Lake Chad region.

Troops were said to have inflicted significant casualties on the attackers during the failed assault, forcing them to retreat while leaving behind intelligence materials now being analysed by security agencies.

The Nigerian military has again reassured Nigerians of its commitment to sustaining offensive operations against terrorist groups and dismantling networks supporting insurgency in the North-East.