Leader of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abu Musab al-Barnawi, is dead, Nigeria’s top military commander disclosed Thursday.
“I can authoritatively confirm to you that al-Barnawi is dead; as simple as that. He is dead and remains dead,” Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, told reporters. He, however, did not give details of al-Barnawi’s death.
Under al-Barnawi, ISWAP became the dominant jihadist force in Nigeria, striking frequently at troops in an insurgency that has killed more than 40,000 persons since it begun in 2009.
His loss would be big blow to ISWAP’s structure, just as it was consolidating since the reported death of rival Boko Haram commander, Abubakar Shekau, during infighting between the factions, earlier this year.
But since splitting with Boko Haram in 2016, the group has shown its resilience and carried out large-scale ambushes on the military.
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