By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
A bloody clash between fighters of Boko Haram and their rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has reportedly left over 100 terrorists dead in the Lake Chad region.
According to credible security sources, the deadly confrontation erupted on Saturday night and continued into the early hours of Sunday as both terror groups fought for dominance in the border areas between Borno State, Nigeria, and the Niger Republic.
Intelligence reports indicate that the battle began after ISWAP fighters launched a surprise attack on a Boko Haram camp near the axis of Toumbun Gini and Baga. The assault, sources said, was in retaliation for recent raids by Boko Haram loyalists who had seized weapons and food supplies belonging to ISWAP.
Heavy gunfire, rocket-propelled grenades, and explosives were reportedly used during the confrontation, resulting in massive casualties on both sides. Over 100 fighters, mostly from the Boko Haram faction, were said to have been killed, while several others sustained severe injuries.
A counter-insurgency expert in the North East, Zagazola Makama, confirmed that ISWAP later overpowered the Boko Haram elements and took control of their hideouts and equipment. He added that dozens of bodies were seen scattered around the battlefield as the surviving fighters fled into nearby bushes.
Military sources, however, described the development as a “welcome self-destruction” among the terrorists, noting that it could further weaken the operational capacity of both groups in the region.
The Nigerian military has yet to issue an official statement on the clash, but surveillance operations have reportedly been intensified around the Lake Chad Basin to prevent fleeing insurgents from regrouping.
The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, while the emergence of ISWAP as a breakaway faction in 2016 has further fueled the violence across the North East and the Lake Chad region.
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