In the heroic operation, 35 hostages who were held captive by the Boko Haram organization and the Islamic State of Nigeria were released, including 16 children • Nigerian officer and fighter were killed in the daring operation

• Terrorists in Nigeria // Photo: AP

The Nigerian army does not rise to the headlines many times in light of the disarray that is taking place in the country, but one campaign that has been made public in recent days proves that despite the mess, there are also heroic achievements in fighting the Boko Haram and ISIS organization.

In a campaign in Lima called "Leipa Dola" last June, fighters managed to release 35 hostages, including 18 women and 16 children. Major General John Anza, the commander of the Nigerian forces, revealed that 75 attacks and many others had been captured during the assault, which included careful preparation. In addition, anti-aircraft weapons were seized and an area occupied by Islamic organizations was captured.

"We lost an officer operation and our fighter was killed but many Boko Haram criminals surrendered to us and handed over their weapons," the general said. Nigerian Army spokesman John Annesh urged civilians to "continue to cooperate with us and provide us with information on criminals and terrorists so that we can successfully eradicate them."

The Boko Haram organization itself launched an Islamic uprising in 2009 in northeast Nigeria and even invaded Cameroon. The Nigerian military has been fighting against the organization over the years, but is having a hard time standing alone in the difficult task of defeating sporadic Islamic suicide terrorists and kidnapping hostages for bargaining. The crisis peaked in 2014, when the organization kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Chibok Town. Some of the girls managed to escape, but many of them are still held by the kidnappers.

Following the traumatic event, an African international task force was established that includes the states of Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon as French and American fighters assist forces on the ground. The fighting is very difficult and has so far led to over one million refugees. It now appears that the joint efforts of the region's countries have succeeded in defeating the terrorist organizations and causing them significant losses.