Addis Ababa, July 16 : Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) said that it has apprehended 82 suspects who were allegedly plotting terrorist operations in various parts of the East African country.

In a statement, the NISS said that the arrest of the suspects, who have alleged links with the terrorist group the Islamic State (IS), stems from an extensive intelligence investigation into the Somali wing of the IS. The terrorist group has been attempting to expand its operational footprint into Ethiopia and neighbouring countries.

According to the statement, NISS has been closely monitoring the group's cross-border infiltration strategies and its efforts to establish sleeper cells in Ethiopia, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Following the compilation of actionable intelligence and corroborating evidence, 82 operatives -- trained by the IS in Puntland and clandestinely deployed across Ethiopia -- were identified and apprehended in a coordinated operation conducted in collaboration with the Ethiopian Federal Police and regional security forces," the statement added.

NISS confirmed that the suspects maintained direct links with the terrorist organisation and were engaged in receiving logistical, financial, and operational support.

The statement further said that the IS has been exploiting religious institutions and symbols as a cover for its operations to disseminate extremist ideology, recruit vulnerable individuals, and destabilise communities.

Earlier this year, Ethiopian and Kenyan intelligence agencies had launched a joint military operation aimed at dismantling a militant group along their common border areas, NISS said in a statement.

The primary objective of the joint operation was to dismantle 'Shene', also known as the Oromo Liberation Army, a militant group designated as a terrorist organisation by the Ethiopian government, thereby enhancing regional stability along the border, the statement said.

Specifically, the operation aimed to counter activities related to terrorism, contraband trade and the trafficking of people and arms.

NISS said joint security forces from Ethiopia and Kenya were actively conducting operations in designated camps of the group within their respective border territories to neutralise its influence and promote peace in the Horn of Africa region.

/IANS