Boko Haram Kills Nearly 200 ISWAP Fighters in Fierce Lake Chad Battle — Retaliation Expected Soon

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A bloody turf war has erupted near Lake Chad, as Boko Haram fighters launched a deadly ambush on rival faction Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), killing nearly 200 militants and seizing weapons and combat boats, according to reports from counterterrorism sources.

The intense confrontation, which occurred over the weekend across the swampy islands of the Lake Chad Basin, marks one of the deadliest inter-factional clashes between the two extremist groups in recent months. Only four Boko Haram fighters reportedly died in the attack, highlighting the scale of the operation.

Security analyst Zagazola Makama confirmed that Boko Haram forces executed a coordinated nighttime assault, overrunning ISWAP camps and capturing large quantities of ammunition and equipment.

“ISWAP suffered heavy losses in both manpower and logistics. Boko Haram’s operation was swift and overwhelming,” a regional security source revealed.

ISWAP is now believed to be mobilising for retaliation, with intelligence reports suggesting that a counter-attack could happen within hours. The escalating feud stems from long-standing competition for dominance over Lake Chad’s strategic waterways, vital for smuggling routes, taxation, and militant logistics.

The Lake Chad Basin, spanning Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, remains one of Africa’s most volatile security zones. The renewed violence threatens recent progress made by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which has been battling both factions for control of the region.

Since the death of Abubakar Shekau in 2021, Boko Haram and ISWAP have turned from allies into bitter rivals — a division that has fueled deadly internal wars over leadership, resources, and ideology.

As of now, neither the Nigerian military nor MNJTF has released official casualty figures, but eyewitnesses describe the encounter as a “massacre that could reshape the jihadist landscape” around Lake Chad.

With ISWAP expected to strike back soon, security forces are on high alert, bracing for another wave of insurgent violence across Nigeria’s northeast.