Due to their suspected involvement in terrorism-related operations, such as the trafficking of weapons and the training of rebel groups in the northeastern region of the country, the Nigerian military has detained four citizens of Pakistan.
When Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, briefed defense media at the operational headquarters in Maiduguri on Wednesday, he revealed the development.
The foreign people were directly involved in arms smuggling and giving technical and tactical support to terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), according to Abubakar, who said early investigations showed this.
“The danger posed by terrorist organizations such as ISWAP and JAS has been greatly increased by 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 participate in arms trafficking with terrorists.”
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He clarified that by allowing terrorist organizations to use more sophisticated strategies, the presence of these foreign agents has increased the region’s terrorist activities’ lethality and sophistication.
Among these strategies are the employment of drones for observation and assault, the creation of sophisticated IEDs, and the placement of military-style traps aimed against soldiers.
The necessity of a concerted global effort to stop the escalating threat of cross-border terrorism was emphasized by General Abubakar.
In order to disrupt the networks that enable these threats, he urged improved intelligence sharing, surveillance, and cooperation among nations in the region.
“We need to respond quickly and proactively to this concerning trend,” he stated. “Terrorists from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province are fighting the Nigerian government, not just the military.”
As investigations go, the military has yet to make public the identity of the Pakistani nationals who were arrested.
