Nigerian Troops Kill 4 Top ISWAP Commanders in Borno Battle
The fighting erupted late on Oct. 31 in the Kukawa Local Government Area, when insurgents stormed military positions, said Captain Mohammed Goni, acting media information officer of Operation Hadin Kai, in a statement released Sunday.
The army named two of the dead: Abu Hajara, a leading figure on ISWAP’s Shura Council, and Abul Walid, a senior commander described as a close associate of the group’s overall leader, Ba Shuwa.
Two other high-ranking militants and several more insurgents also died in the clash, according to the statement.
Backed by air assets, troops beat back the assault and seized weapons, ammunition and communication devices, the military said.
The battle came just three days after a separate engagement in Buni Yadi, where Nigerian forces killed 55 insurgents, several of them commanders. The military framed the back-to-back operations as part of a push to cripple ISWAP’s leadership and dismantle its operational networks across the northeast.
ISWAP broke away from Boko Haram in 2016 and has since grown into a major insurgent force in the Lake Chad Basin, with activity spanning parts of Nigeria and neighboring countries.
The insurgency, which began in 2009, has killed thousands, displaced millions and disrupted livelihoods and humanitarian operations throughout the region.
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