Nigerian Military reportedly eliminates ISWAP leader, Ba’a Shuwa, scores of his fighters

The Nigerian military, according to reports, has eliminated the Nigerian leader of the Islamic State of West Africa Province(ISWAP), Ba’a Shuwa, and scores of his fighters in the northeast of Borno.

Ba’a Shuwa was reputed to have been the ISWAP leader of the Nigerian Wylayat, Lake Chad, Kwalfarji, Timbuktu Farouq, and Sambisa Mantika of the ISIS-affiliated ISWAP.

According to sources, airstrikes carried out on January 2, 2024, at Kwatan Dilla in Abadam LGA of Borno State led to the killing of Ba’a Shuwa and scores of his fighters.

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Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, also confirmed the strike.

Sources also said they saw footage of soldiers neutralising enemy elements and equipment.

Shuwa, who was appointed in 2021 after Abubakar Shekau killed himself, was commanding terrorists in Chiralia, Markas Kauwa, Abirma, Buk, Abulam, Dusula, Abbagajiri, Gorgore, and many other camps within the Timbuktu and Alagarno axes in the south of Borno.

Some of his top commanding officers included Khaid Hanzala, Ba’a Idirisa, Rawana, Abou Ibrahim, Mallam Abubakar, Abou Aisha, and Abou Khalid. They were responsible for the recent attack on the electricity towers along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway.

Ba’a Shuwa and his groups of terrorists are mostly responsible for attacks, ambushes, and IED/mines towards Damboa roads, Damaturu-Maiduguri, Askira, Buratai, Buni Yadi, Buni Gari, Gaidam, and other parts of Borno and Yobe States.

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