Several commanders of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), commonly known as Boko Haram, are feared dead after fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a deadly attack on a rival faction’s enclave in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama reported that the attack took place around the Gargash area near Bula Murge, where ISWAP fighters reportedly ambushed the JAS camp during a coordinated offensive.
Among those believed to have been killed are Abu Ubaida, Modu Kori, Alhaji Modu, Mure, Zarkawi, Sheriff and Modu Maye, all described as senior JAS commanders with operational responsibilities in the area.
The assault reportedly forced surviving fighters to flee, with intelligence suggesting that the group has begun relocating women and children to Bula Daloye after losing its camps.
According to Makama, the attackers also destroyed camps at Bula Murge and Nguro Bafuye, dealing a major blow to the faction’s logistics and operational capabilities.
Military sources said the latest clash has further weakened the JAS faction and presents an opportunity for security forces to intensify ongoing counter-insurgency operations across the Bama axis and adjoining parts of southern Borno.
Troops operating around Miyanti, Kumshe and neighbouring communities have reportedly been directed to sustain pressure on both terrorist factions to prevent them from regrouping or establishing new hideouts.
Security officials also urged commanders to exploit the infighting through coordinated land and air offensives aimed at further degrading the fighting capacity of both groups and denying them freedom of movement around the Sambisa Forest.
The latest confrontation is the latest chapter in the long-running rivalry between ISWAP and JAS, which split in 2016 over ideological and leadership disagreements. Since then, both factions have repeatedly clashed over territorial control, recruitment, taxation routes and strategic hideouts across the Lake Chad Basin and the Sambisa Forest.
Military sources told Makama that the renewed infighting reflects the increasing pressure insurgent groups are facing from sustained military offensives and precision airstrikes that have disrupted their command structures and logistics.
They added that troops remain on heightened alert across the Bama corridor as operations continue to deny both factions safe havens and prevent them from rebuilding their operational networks.
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