A brutal clash between rival terror groups — Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) — has left at least 170 ISWAP fighters dead around the Lake Chad axis, in what security sources describe as one of the deadliest inter-factional battles in recent months.
According to credible reports, Boko Haram fighters launched a coordinated attack on ISWAP positions using seven boats, of which four were destroyed and three managed to escape. The fierce confrontation, which raged for hours, saw Boko Haram overrunning ISWAP’s camps, seizing a cache of weapons and ammunition, and inflicting heavy losses.
Only four Boko Haram members were confirmed killed, underscoring the group’s tactical advantage in the surprise offensive. Eyewitnesses and local intelligence sources say ISWAP’s fighters were completely overwhelmed and forced into disarray, abandoning arms and wounded comrades as they fled into nearby islands.
The fighting reportedly erupted over renewed control of supply routes and extortion points along the Lake Chad Basin — a volatile zone straddling Nigeria, Chad, and Niger.
Security operatives in Borno State have since been placed on alert following intelligence reports suggesting that ISWAP may launch a retaliatory strike, possibly within the next 24 hours.
Analysts believe the latest confrontation marks a new phase in the ongoing turf war between both terror factions, whose violent rivalry has claimed thousands of lives since their split in 2016.
The Nigerian military, which has intensified surveillance around Lake Chad, is yet to issue an official statement on the reported clash, but residents say they fear the fighting could spill into civilian areas if ISWAP decides to strike back.
As night falls over the Lake Chad region, tension runs high — and the uneasy calm suggests that the war within the insurgency is far from over.
Boko Haram Slaughters 170 ISWAP Fighters in Fierce Lake Chad Battle
ISWAP Camps Burn, Weapons Seized as Tension Mounts Over Possible Retaliation
A brutal clash between rival terror groups — Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) — has left at least 170 ISWAP fighters dead around the Lake Chad axis, in what security sources describe as one of the deadliest inter-factional battles in recent months.
According to credible reports, Boko Haram fighters launched a coordinated attack on ISWAP positions using seven boats, of which four were destroyed and three managed to escape. The fierce confrontation, which raged for hours, saw Boko Haram overrunning ISWAP’s camps, seizing a cache of weapons and ammunition, and inflicting heavy losses.
Only four Boko Haram members were confirmed killed, underscoring the group’s tactical advantage in the surprise offensive. Eyewitnesses and local intelligence sources say ISWAP’s fighters were completely overwhelmed and forced into disarray, abandoning arms and wounded comrades as they fled into nearby islands.
The fighting reportedly erupted over renewed control of supply routes and extortion points along the Lake Chad Basin — a volatile zone straddling Nigeria, Chad, and Niger.
Security operatives in Borno State have since been placed on alert following intelligence reports suggesting that ISWAP may launch a retaliatory strike, possibly within the next 24 hours.
Analysts believe the latest confrontation marks a new phase in the ongoing turf war between both terror factions, whose violent rivalry has claimed thousands of lives since their split in 2016.
The Nigerian military, which has intensified surveillance around Lake Chad, is yet to issue an official statement on the reported clash, but residents say they fear the fighting could spill into civilian areas if ISWAP decides to strike back.
As night falls over the Lake Chad region, tension runs high — and the uneasy calm suggests that the war within the insurgency is far from over.
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