Nigerian military has made enormous gains over ISWAP — Experts

The operations of the Nigerian Military in the ongoing battle with Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group in North-East Nigeria have received commendations recently from a wide array of security experts that stated that indeed there had been tremendous gains made so far.

This medium undertook an investigative report and sorts the views of a cross-section of security experts drawn from Nigeria and other countries. Their opinions were in uniformity with the fact that the ISWAP terrorist groups have been decimated and left in disarray and the Nigerian Military has made enormous gains.

According to a highly placed security sources who pleaded anonymity, he stated that from available Intel, what is now left of ISWAP are a bunch of disgruntled fighters facing hunger and logistics challenges so much so that some of its members now enter communities to steal food and other essentials to keep their lives running.

They have been broken, and they have resulted in aiming at soft targets in women and children, going on rampages in villages and causing destruction to paint a picture of a strong fighting force, but in truth, they are in disarray.” He added that a 2018 research analysis predicted a tough year for the Boko Haram/ISWAP group, and this much was the case with the way and manner the Nigerian troops responded to the threats posed by the groups.

“There was a projection by the ISWAP affiliate of ISIS to gain control of Nigeria and some other countries in Africa, and Nigeria was designated as the start point. If it had succeeded in Nigeria, it would signal the beginning of an inglorious reign of terror. This is not the case today due to the efforts of the Nigerian Military in confronting the terrorists and ensuring that their nefarious activities are nipped in the bud.”

In a similar vein, Terhemba Kwaga, an associate professor of cognitive psychology of the department of Psychology, Benue State University, Makurdi heaped praises on the Nigerian Military for the way and manner it has been able to sustain the morale of its troops. He argued that the importance of cognitive stability and flexibility in warfare, such as the Boko Haram/ISWAP war cannot be overemphasized.

“The troops have displayed the right mental balance in the prosecution of the war, and this has led to the tangible gains recorded so far. This is on the heels that guns and tanks are not the only weapons of war, the right cognitive balance is one, and this much the Nigerian Military has utilized to their advantage and largely responsible for the gains made so far. This is remarkable as well as commendable.”

In a similar development, it has been recorded that there is currently a crisis in the camp of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP). This development is coming at a time when ISWAP lost about 25 of its commanders in a series of raids carried out by the Nigerian Military in the last two months. Credible sources stated that many others have fled into the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger, and Cameroon as a result of heavy bombardment from security forces.
-VANGUARD