Fighters of terrorist group Boko Haram and its main faction the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were recently engaged in a deadly encounter that left many dead.
The Heritage Times learnt that the ISWAP faction attacked the Boko Haram camp in Sunawa village on the Nigerian-Niger border and re-abducted women kidnapped from them by Boko Haram, a development which led to the gun battle in Sunawa village located on the Nigeria-Niger border, and also rescued the abducted women.
In the meantime, It’s unclear if the women are Boko Haram collaborators, or some of the thousands of people that have been abducted and held hostage by the terrorist group over the past 11 years.
Some Chibok schoolgirls, the abducted United Nations worker, Dapchi schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu are among the captives believed to still be with the Abubakar Shekau-led faction of the Boko Haram in Sambisa Forest in Borno State.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen Muhammed Yerima, in a release on Monday also confirmed the clash, adding that “the battle occurred after ISWAP abducted dozens of women linked to Boko Haram.”
According to him: “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,” he said.
The Army spokesperson also commended troops over a recent operation along Sambisa forest that led to the discovery and destruction of Shekau’s farm, and rescue of abducted victims.
