Boko Haram seizes key commanders, 60 members of ISWAP
In a recent development the Boko Haram fighters have reportedly captured 60 terrorists belonging to the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), including three prominent commanders from the sect.
The identified commanders are Abubakar Saddiq, Abou Maimuna, and Malam Idris.
According to Zagazola Makama, a security analyst and counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, the ISWAP terrorists were apprehended while en route to Damasak in Borno State.
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The Boko Haram Buduma factions, which recently gained an advantage over ISWAP, captured the majority of ISWAP’s enclaves. As a result, ISWAP members sought refuge in heavily fortified hideouts in the Kukawa, Madayi, and Kwatan Mota areas.
“The Boko Haram Buduma Faction’s recent success against ISWAP was due to disaffected ISWAP fighters defecting to join forces with them,” Makama explained.
The captured ISWAP members were subsequently taken to an underground prison cell near Dogon Chukwu, specifically in KWATAN MOTA, where they were held as Prisoners of War.
The clash between the terrorist groups occurred on Monday during their ongoing supremacy battle.
In a separate development, reports indicate that an additional 78 Boko Haram terrorists and their family members surrendered to troops of Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) Operation Hadin Kai in Monguno Local Government Area of Borno State.
This surrender followed sustained military operations targeting their hideouts and the internal conflicts with ISWAP, which resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists from both sides within the past seven days.