Six suspected ISWAP militants including a senior bomb expert have been killed after an improvised explosive device they were assembling detonated prematurely in Jubilaram, Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, in a development security authorities said could significantly disrupt the group’s IED operations along one of the most active insurgent corridors in the Lake Chad Basin.
Security sources said the incident occurred at approximately 7 a.m., with the explosion killing Abu Umar, identified as the group’s bomb-making specialist, alongside five other militants. Three additional members of the cell sustained serious injuries.
Intelligence assessments indicated the deceased were part of ISWAP’s IED-making cell operating within the Marte-Kerenoa-Wulgo axis, a known corridor for insurgent movements. The blast destroyed an IED manufacturing hub located between Arinna Maimasallaci and Arinna Ciki, which military sources said was likely temporarily nonoperational as a result.
The incident came hours after joint US forces and the Nigerian Army separately eliminated a top ISWAP commander operating in the Lake Chad region. Military sources said follow-up air and ground operations were being considered to exploit the situation and further deny insurgents freedom of movement in the Marte area.
