The Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has said the Nigerian military is leveraging its partnership with the United States (US) to intensify operations against Boko Haram and its splinter groups in the North-East.

Gen. Abubakar made his disclosure while briefing a team of defence correspondents following his visit to Maiduguri, Borno State.

Speaking with newsmen, Abubakar noted that intelligence support from the U.S. has significantly strengthened ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.

According to him, the military has received high-value intelligence that has enhanced both air and ground operations, leading to increased neutralisation of terrorist elements.

“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,” Abubakar said.

“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.

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“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.”

He added that the troops have been given clear directives to carry out sustained kinetic operations, adding that these efforts have resulted in the elimination of 54 high-profile Boko Haram commanders, including Abu Fatima, who had a ₦100 million bounty placed on him.

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

“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, more than 16,000 Boko Haram suspects and their family members surrendered to the military due to sustained operational pressure.

He said the development has contributed to improved security in the region and helped revive economic and social activities.

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

Addressing challenges confronting troops, Abubakar identified terrorist collaborators as a major obstacle, noting that they play a critical role in sustaining insurgent logistics.

To counter this, he said the theatre command launched a special offensive tagged “Logistics Strangulation Operation” aimed at cutting off supply routes to insurgents.

“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,” he said.

“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 presence of collaborators complicates efforts to achieve a swift victory over terrorism, describing them as essential enablers of insurgent survival.

“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,” he added.