Military Arrests Four Pakistanis Over Alleged Boko Haram Links

Four Pakistani nationals have been detained by the Nigerian military on suspicion of engaging in terrorism-related operations, such as the trafficking of weapons and the training of rebel organizations in the northeastern region of the country.
At a briefing with defense media at the operational headquarters in Maiduguri on Wednesday, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, revealed the news.
Preliminary investigations showed that the foreigners were directly involved in transporting weapons and giving technical and tactical support to terrorist groups including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram, Abubakar said.

“The threat posed by terrorist groups like ISWAP and JAS has significantly increased due to the infiltration of foreign mercenaries in the joint operations area,” he stated.
“It is instructive that four Pakistani nationals were recently arrested; preliminary investigations indicate that they deal in weapons and collaborate with terrorists.”

He clarified that the presence of these foreign agents has increased the region’s terrorist activities’ lethality and sophistication, allowing organizations to use more sophisticated strategies.

These strategies include the employment of military-style traps against troops, the creation of sophisticated improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and the use of drones for both monitoring and strikes.

In order to stop the growing threat of cross-border terrorism, General Abubakar emphasized the necessity of a concerted international effort.

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To break up the networks enabling these threats, he urged governments in the region to cooperate, share intelligence, and conduct more monitoring.

“A prompt and well-coordinated response is necessary to address this concerning trend,” he stated. “Terrorists from Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram are fighting the Nigerian government, not just the military.”

While investigations are ongoing, the military has not yet disclosed the identities of the Pakistani nationals who were arrested.