ISWAP wife escapes camp, surrenders with baby

A woman identified as the wife of an Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighter has surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State with her two-month-old baby.

Security sources said the woman, identified as Falmata Bakwai, surrendered to troops of the 19 Brigade at Cross Kauwa at about 10:15 a.m. on June 26.

During preliminary debriefing, Falmata reportedly told the troops that she escaped from the ISWAP enclave at Dogon Chuku while her husband and other fighters were away from the camp.

She attributed her decision to flee to worsening living conditions within the terrorist enclave, including acute shortages of food and other essential supplies.

According to the sources, she said the humanitarian situation in the camp had deteriorated due to sustained military offensives and aerial bombardments targeting terrorist hideouts across the North-East.

The woman and her infant have since been quarantined and provided with medical care in line with established operational procedures.

Military authorities said debriefing is ongoing, while arrangements are being made to transfer her to the Headquarters of Sector 3, Operation Hadin Kai/Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), for further investigation and profiling.

Security sources noted that the surrender reflects the increasing pressure on terrorist enclaves resulting from coordinated ground and air operations in the region.