Nigerian military base: seized by Islamic State and recaptured by the army 48 hours later
The Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) allegedly managed to seize a Nigerian army base last Friday. The assault was accomplished within a few hours. During the seizure of the Mars base in the northeastern state of Borno, clashes broke out between the army and ISWAP jihadists, resulting in the deaths of several soldiers and the disappearance of several others. The jihadist group has announced that during the attack they killed seven Nigerian soldiers, captured eight and stole ammunition and vehicles, burning the barracks of the base. This information could not be verified. The striking thing about the seizure of the base is that, according to an unnamed military source quoted by AFP, the jihadists arrived in militarised trucks. The Mars base was also attacked less than a fortnight ago by members of the ISWAP group. This attempt was repelled by the Nigerian security forces, so this time the jihadists made sure to bring more troops and equipment. According to army sources, the first attack was in retaliation for the Nigerian army's successful operations in the town of Talala, known to be ISWAP's second most important stronghold in the region.
Despite a statement issued by the Nigerian army on Sunday claiming to have neutralised all the jihadists, the Islamic State has had access to the army's military equipment, now almost completely destroyed. Operation Tura Takaibango, which was launched on January 7 for the northeastern part of the country, was responsible for retaking the base in Borno state, together with the Nigerian air force. This operation, according to the communiqué issued by the Nigerian army, succeeded in destroying the seven militarised trucks and neutralised most of the jihadists who had taken over the base. The terrorists left the town where the base was located, Marte, from where hundreds of civilians who were caught in the crossfire had fled earlier in the weekend.
Despite ongoing counter-terrorism operations by the Nigerian army accompanied by self-defence militias (the Civilian Joint Task Force - CJTF), terrorist attacks in Nigeria have intensified in recent months on both the ISWAP and Boko Haram fronts. Both groups move along the northern borders. We recall that in December last year, 600 children were abducted by Boko Haram in Katsina state in the northwest of the country. The presence of both groups in Nigeria and the permeability of the borders with neighbouring countries is causing a regional security problem, as jihadist groups take advantage of the difficult control of the border to carry out attacks in the areas closest to them.
Boko Haram and ISWAP were originally the same group, until they split in 2016. Since then they have operated separately and, unlike between the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and the Islamic State of the Greater Sahara in the Sahel or in the Middle East, there are no direct clashes between the two factions. In fact, sometimes neither the media nor the military distinguish between them. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau swore allegiance to Islamic State in 2015, but a year later when Daesh decided to appoint al-Barnawi as leader of the now renamed Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abubakar Shekau refused, dividing ISWAP into those loyal to al-Barnawi and those following Abubakar Shekau, whose name reverted to Boko Haram in August 2016.