Boko Haram has captured the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)
operational bases in Borno State’s Lake Chad region, forcing 11 commanders and
clerics to flee.
The terror group’s captured bases are in Abadam Local Council.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, revealed
yesterday in Maiduguri that the takeover of ISWAP sites prompted 11 leaders to leave, along with ISWAP preacher Abu Moussab al-Barnawi.
He stated that the seizure, spearheaded by Boko Haram leader Abu Umaimah and
some commanders, also resulted in the death of approximately 100 ISWAP fighters.
A military source in Maiduguri confirmed the allegation, saying, the brutal confrontations began on December 31, 2022, after the Boko Haram faction attacked three armory bases of ISWAP at Toumbum Allura Kurnawa and Kangar in Abadam Local Council.
The ISWAP terrorists were defeated during the 14-hour fire war, according to the
source.
According to the report, on January 2, 2023, Ali Ngulde, the Amir Jaysh of Boko Haram, led five Khaids comprised of Muke from the Mandara Mountains, Ali Ghana from Ngauri, Abbah Tukur from Mantari, and Maimusari.
He also said that Boko Haram had taken over the ISWAP’s main market in Toumbun
Gini.
Meanwhile, Al-Barnawi of Boko Haram has been said to have shifted to the south of
Borno in the Gol-Chillaria axis of Damboa Local Council in Sambisa Forest. He went on to say that Al-Barnawi was received by Abbah Shuwa (Ba’a Shuwa), who was
appointed as the ISWAP’s Wali in November 2022.
According to Makama, Shuwa was compelled to operate from Gol and Chillaria due to the persistent flooding that buried the majority of the camps in the Lake Chad region.
He stated that Boko Haram fighters used the existing challenges of the ISWAP enclaves to strike.
