Impeccable sources say at least 22 terrorist from the ISIS affiliate Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the Buduma group linked to the Abubakar Shekau's Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad faction, were killed in another infra-jihadist rival clashes.

On the 3rd of March 2021, a group of Buduma Militants are reported to have engaged on a daring and desperate mission to loot from the ISWAP units. They moved through a route revealed by sources as Kabul and Kandahar, a riverine border village in the Chadian territory on two flying boats conveying several armed terrorist with various calibre of weapons to attack a location known as Chikka - a village administered by ISWAP between the borders of Nigeria and Niger Republic - fringes of the Lake Chad Basin. 

The Shekau linked Buduma group are alleged to have arrived in an ISWAP hiding village before killing two persons, and abducted five women. The women are believed to be the wives of ISWAP terrorist. The group also looted some essential items including scarce food before disappearing at about 9pm.

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However, the Buduma thieves were caught up by ISWAP elements leading to a heavy gun battle between locations given as Kaduna Ruwa  and Kaiga - the fierce fighting lead to the annihilation of about 16 terrorist from both sides of the rival terrorist groups - while others barely escaped in various directions including the axis of Mandarari with bullet wounds. 

Sources say on February 4, the angry Buduma terrorist group further mobilised another group of fighters to loot food items worth millions of Naira at a location given as Chikka while other insurgents were ordered to tactically storm locations given as Gudumbali, Tumbum Gini - killing six ISWAP terrorist.  

In a twist of self disengagement fortune -the six bitter wives of the ISWAP terrorists escaped and surrendered to the Nigerian troops in Sector 3 Headquarters of the Multi- National Joint Task Force(MNJTF), in Monguno.

Known sources with knowledge of the long time rivalry between Boko Haram JAS faction and ISIS affiliated ISWAP faction revealed that the bitter rivalry  

had intensified after the killing of one Ali Daru, who stormed ISWAP camp and killed several fighters at Sabon Tumbu. He was later intercepted and killed by Ali Kwaya, a high ranking ISWAP insurgent Commander.  

The sources further reported that a sustained ground and precision aerial strikes by the Nigerian military on Boko Haram terrorists and ISIS affiliated Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) continues to eliminate many key terrorist harbouring along the porous fringes of the Lake Chad basin and Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno.

An agressive campaign tagged  "Operation TURA TAKAIBANGO, a subsidiary of Operation LAFIYA DOLE in the North East, has been locked to target most active terrorist hideouts - forcing jihadist to a position of severe desperation in need of the most basic necessities; food, drugs and other items for survival. 

As the Nigerian joint Military services implement an innovative strategy of rethinking the key practice role of intelligence planning , gathering - analysis and dissemination , the impact on the daily activities of Boko Haram JAS and ISIS affiliated ISWAP factions will be felt in more ways than one. 

In the asymmetric war on terror, if you see something say something. 

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David Otto

David Otto is an International Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Expert and the leading Director of Counter Terrorism at the Geneva Centre for Africa Security and Strategic Studies (GCASSS). He is also the Director for Counter Terrorism Programme Design for the UK based - Stepped In Step Out Ltd - He is a Certified Anti -Terrorism Specialist (CAS), a Certified Master Anti-Terrorism Specialist (CMAS) and a program trainer with the Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board (ATAB).

Emails: David.otto@gcass.org; David.Otto@steppedin-stepout.com

Website: www.gcasss.org

Twitter @ottotgs

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