A fierce battle between late Abubakar Shekau faction of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has been reported.
The clash led to the death of scores of the insurgents in Dikwa Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State.
A local security source confirmed the clash to POLITICS NIGERIA and said it happened at the weekend. Many of the jihadists were also injured.
ISWAP has emerged as the dominant faction in Nigeria’s insurgency conflict, especially after the death of rival Boko Haram commander Shekau in May 2021 during infighting between the groups.
Shekau’s death marked a major shift in the grinding 12-year insurgency that has left over 40,000 people dead, but security sources say Shekau loyalists have held out against ISWAP’s bid to consolidate.
At a time, Boko Haram suffered heavy casualties in a failed bid to invade Kirta Wulgo, Borno, where they met resistance from ISWAP.
More than two million people have been displaced by Nigeria’s conflict since it began in 2009, and the violence has spread over the borders to Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
