At least 20 Boko Haram insurgents were killed in a brutal confrontation with rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in Borno State, as ISWAP launched an unexpected and calculated assault on Boko Haram’s positions.
The deadly clash occurred on March 3 in the riverine areas of Abadam Local Government Area, extending into parts of the Diffa region in Niger Republic. Security analyst Zagazola Makama shared the details of the battle on his official X handle, revealing the shocking developments.
The violent confrontation ignited after ISWAP fighters ordered local residents to clear dense vegetation between Dabar Giwa village in Kukawa Local Government Area and Garin Mallam Ya’u. This move, meant to clear a path, inadvertently exposed the Boko Haram militants who had been in hiding in the area since February 27, preparing for a counteroffensive against ISWAP.
What was expected to be a Boko Haram ambush quickly turned into a well-coordinated attack from ISWAP, who struck at the insurgent camps located between Tumbun Kwatar Mota and Tumbun Marakirya, close to an old ISWAP stronghold in Tumbun Gini. The suddenness of the assault caught the Boko Haram fighters completely off guard.
The result was devastating for the Boko Haram faction, with at least 20 insurgents confirmed dead. Eyewitnesses reported that several other militants were injured and fled the scene in disarray, but the total number of ISWAP casualties remains unclear.
This fierce confrontation underscores the intensifying rivalry between ISWAP and Boko Haram, both vying for control over strategic territories in the Lake Chad Basin. As these terror groups continue to clash, analysts, including the Phantom Eye Group, highlight that the violence is reflective of a larger power struggle for dominance in the region.
This battle not only demonstrates the ongoing chaos in the region but also signals the growing complexity of the insurgent conflict, as ISWAP increasingly targets Boko Haram strongholds in a bid for supremacy.
