By Tarkaa David,Abuja
Scores of terrorists have been reportedly killed following a fierce battle between the Abubakar Shekau-led Boko Haram sect and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) at a border area between Nigeria and Niger Republic.
Director of Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Mohammed Yerima, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, quoted Al Thabat, an al-Qaida affiliated media outfit.
He said, “Al Thabat, in a statement, said Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad, commonly known as Boko Haram, killed Islamic State West Africa Province insurgents in the village of Sunawa on the Nigeria-Niger border.
“The battle occurred after ISWAP abducted dozens of women linked to Boko Haram. The group subsequently attacked the ISWAP base and rescued the women”.
He said since ISWAP broke off from the Shekau-led Boko Haram in 2016, there had been recurrent bitter wars of attrition and violent confrontations between both factions.
The director said the incident has once again exposed the disorganised and disoriented nature of the terrorists.
He added that the Nigerian Army in recent operations under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, has continued to dismantle all logistics and operational bases of the insurgents along the Lake Chad Basin axis and Sambisa forest area
“The troops in one of its operations along Sambisa forest discovered and destroyed Abubakar Shekau’s farm and rescued abducted victims,” he said.
