No fewer than 20 Boko Haram insurgents have been killed in a fierce battle with fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama, in a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, said the clash occurred on March 3 in the riverine areas of Abadam Local Government Area, extending into the Diffa region of Niger Republic.
He said the violence erupted after ISWAP operatives ordered residents to clear thick vegetation between Dabar Giwa village in Kukawa Local Government Area and Garin Mallam Ya’u.
According to him, the exercise unintentionally exposed the hideout of Boko Haram militants, who had been in the area since February 27 in preparation for an attack on ISWAP.
“Contrary to Boko Haram’s planned ambush, ISWAP launched a well-coordinated offensive, targeting insurgent camps between Tumbun Kwatar Mota and Tumbun Marakirya, near a former ISWAP stronghold in Tumbun Gini,” he said.
Makama said the surprise attack caught Boko Haram fighters off guard, leading to the deaths of at least 20 insurgents, while several others sustained injuries and fled.
The number of casualties on the ISWAP side remains unknown.
Security experts, including the Phantom Eye group, said the latest confrontation underscored the escalating rivalry between ISWAP and Boko Haram over control of strategic territories in the Lake Chad Basin.
They noted that the ongoing clashes posed serious security challenges to communities in the region.
