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At least 20 Boko Haram militants were killed in a surprise attack by rival fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State, marking another violent clash between the two factions.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama, in a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, reported that the confrontation took place on March 3 in the riverine areas of Abadam Local Government Area, extending into parts of Diffa in Niger Republic.
Makama explained that ISWAP militants had ordered locals to clear dense vegetation between Dabar Giwa village in Kukawa Local Government Area and Garin Mallam Ya’u.
This inadvertently exposed Boko Haram fighters who had been hiding in the area since February 27, preparing for an ambush against ISWAP.
However, ISWAP preempted the attack, launching a coordinated assault on Boko Haram camps between Tumbun Kwatar Mota and Tumbun Marakirya, near the former ISWAP stronghold of Tumbun Gini.
The sudden offensive caught Boko Haram members off guard, resulting in at least 20 deaths, with several others reportedly injured and fleeing the battlefield.
While the number of ISWAP casualties remains unknown, security experts, including the intelligence group Phantom Eye, suggest that the battle underscores the escalating struggle for dominance between the two factions in the Lake Chad Basin.