Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Headquarters Theatre Command, Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA (JTF NW OPFY), has launched Operation CLEAN SWEEP IV, a simultaneous and deliberate offensive operation designed to intensify pressure on terrorist and armed criminal elements, disrupt their networks and prevent infiltration and expansion of terrorist activities across the North West. This was contained in a statement signed by Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, Media Information Officer, Joint Task Force (North West) Operation FANSAN YAMMA.
The operation brings coordinated ground and air actions to bear on identified threats across the North Western States, with the objective of degrading terrorist capabilities, disrupting their movements and logistics, and denying them the opportunity to establish footholds within Nigerian communities.
The launch of Operation CLEAN SWEEP IV has already translated into intensified operational activities across the Theatre. In Katsina State, troops of Sector 2, on 12 August 2026, conducted a clearance operation around suspected terrorist enclaves along the Dutsinma Local Government Area. The operation mounted significant pressure on the terrorists, compelling them to abandon their positions and withdraw into surrounding bushes. clearance operation is ongoing in the general area.
In Zamfara State, following credible intelligence on the movement and convergence of terrorists on motorcycles in Anka Local Government Area, the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA executed precision strikes neutralizing scores of terrorists, forcing survivors to abandon their motorcycles and flee into surrounding bushes. The Air assest subsequently acquired and engaged the rest of the terrorists.
A major component of Operation CLEAN SWEEP IV is the deliberate effort to contain and dismantle the Lakurawa terrorist network across the Theatre. The operation is designed to prevent the infiltration and reinforcement of Lakurawa elements into Nigeria while denying the group the opportunity to exploit border areas as corridors for movement, logistics and the establishment of enclaves.
The operation further seeks to block the activities of terrorist elements operating around the River Niger axis and the Kainji Lake National Park, thereby preventing them from using the area as a platform for projecting violence into adjoining communities and other parts of the North West.
The launch of Operation CLEAN SWEEP IV underscores the proactive and sustained posture of Operation FANSAN YAMMA in confronting evolving terrorist threats across the region. The Theatre remains resolute in protecting civilian communities, securing Nigeria’s territorial integrity and denying terrorist elements the opportunity to regroup, reinforce or establish operational footholds.
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