The Joint Task Force North-West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, has launched a major offensive, Operation CLEAN SWEEP IV, to dismantle terrorist and armed criminal networks and prevent their expansion across the region.
The operation combines coordinated ground and air offensives across the North-West, targeting terrorist hideouts, movement corridors and logistics networks in a bid to degrade their fighting capabilities and deny them opportunities to establish operational footholds in Nigerian communities.
The Theatre Command said the offensive had already intensified military activities across several states.
In Katsina State, troops of Sector 2 on August 12, 2026, conducted a clearance operation around suspected terrorist enclaves in the Dutsinma Local Government Area.
According to the military, the offensive exerted significant pressure on the terrorists, forcing them to abandon their positions and retreat into surrounding bushes. Clearance operations were still ongoing in the area.
In Zamfara State, the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA launched precision air strikes after credible intelligence indicated that terrorists were converging on motorcycles in Anka Local Government Area.
The strikes reportedly neutralised scores of terrorists and forced surviving elements to abandon their motorcycles and flee into surrounding bushes. The air assets subsequently reacquired and engaged the fleeing terrorists.
The military said a key objective of Operation CLEAN SWEEP IV was to contain and dismantle the Lakurawa terrorist network and prevent its infiltration and reinforcement across Nigeria’s north-western border areas.
The operation is also designed to deny terrorist groups access to border corridors that could be exploited for movement, logistics and the establishment of operational enclaves.
The offensive further targets terrorist activities around the River Niger axis and the Kainji Lake National Park, with the military seeking to prevent the areas from being used as launch pads for attacks against adjoining communities and other parts of the North-West.
The Theatre Command said the launch of CLEAN SWEEP IV reflected Operation FANSAN YAMMA’s proactive and sustained response to the evolving terrorist threat in the region.
It reaffirmed the military’s commitment to protecting civilian communities, securing Nigeria’s territorial integrity and preventing terrorist groups from regrouping, reinforcing their ranks or establishing new operational bases.
The operation is expected to sustain pressure on terrorist and criminal networks across the Theatre as security forces intensify efforts to restore stability and freedom of movement to communities affected by insecurity.
