By Victor Akaa, Abuja
The Nigerian Army says, the Abubakar Shekau faction of Boko Haram insurgents and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) criminal group in a fierce and deadly encounter in Sunawa village,a border area between Nigeria and the Niger Republic has left dozens of the criminal elements dead.
The incident occurred after the ISWAP terrorist group abducted dozens of women linked to Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad, known as Boko Haram terrorists as revealed by an al-Qaida affiliated media organisation called AI Thabat.
Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Mohammed Yerima quoted Al Thabat, in a statement, saying the “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 group (Boko Haram) in retaliation and confrontation attacked the ISWAP base and rescued the women,leaving several ISWAP insurgents dead.
“The group subsequently attacked the ISWAP base and rescued the women.
“It will be recalled that ISWAP broke off from the Shekau led Boko Haram in 2016, and since then, bitter war of attrition and violent confrontations between both factions have been recurrent.
“This incident has once again exposed the disorganized and disoriented nature of these criminals.
“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’ farm and rescued abducted victims.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to use this medium to reassure Nigerians of the determination of troops to clear the remnants terrorists out of the Nigerian territory.” he added.
