It revealed on Thursday Members of the Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) otherwise known as Boko Haram have reportedly carried out multiple strategic attacks against the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), killing scores of them in northern Borno State.
This was disclosed by Zagazola Makama, security analyst and counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad area in a report on Thursday.
The attacks, reportedly carried out between December 23 and 24, have resulted in the dislodgement of several ISWAP camps and the seizure of valuable equipment, the report said.
According to the report, sources said the strikes occurred in known ISWAP strongholds, including Toumbun Gini, Mangari, Toumbun Saje, and Metele.
The Boko Haram fighters overpowered their ISWAP counterparts, inflicting heavy casualties and stealing 20 motorcycles owned by ISWAP.
“The assaults culminated in the destruction of the camps, forcing ISWAP militants to flee in disarray, with eyewitness accounts describing them escaping without shoes and with only the clothes on their backs,” it said.
A recent assessment indicates that the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) is currently prioritizing rebuilding its strength over engaging in direct confrontations with Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), also known as Boko Haram.
However, concerns are mounting about Boko Haram’s increasing influence and territorial gains across northern Borno.
This development comes on the heels of a violent clash between ISWAP and Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region in August, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of approximately 100 fighters from both groups.
