Nigeria arrests two foreign jihadist fighters aiding local terror groups

Nigeria's military arrested two foreign jihadist fighters accused of aiding local insurgent groups, according to army officials. The arrests were announced as part of ongoing operations against the Boko Haram insurgency and its ISWAP offshoot, which have destabilized northeastern Nigeria for years.

The Nigerian military has waged a campaign against the insurgency for 17 years, but officials acknowledge the fight remains difficult. Boko Haram emerged in the early 2000s, and a rival faction, ISWAP, split from the group in 2016; both have continued carrying out attacks across the Lake Chad Basin region. Commanders say foreign fighters, including some arriving from the Middle East, have joined local groups in recent years, bringing specialized skills and technology that have strengthened insurgent operations and complicated the military's counter-insurgency efforts.

FRANCE 24 correspondent Sam Olukoya, reporting from Lagos, said the presence of foreign fighters illustrates the increasingly transnational nature of the insurgency. Nigerian authorities have not detailed the nationalities of the two men arrested or specified what charges they may face, and it remains unclear how many other foreign fighters may be operating alongside local insurgent factions in the region.