Six suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, including a known bomb expert, were killed on Saturday after an improvised explosive device they were assembling exploded in Borno State.
Security sources told counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama that the blast occurred around 7 a.m. in Jubilaram, Marte Local Government Area. The group was reportedly led by Abu Umar, identified as a bomb expert, who died in the explosion alongside five other militants. Three others were said to have sustained serious injuries.
Intelligence assessments described the dead men as part of ISWAP’s IED-making cell operating in the Marte–Kerenoa–Wulgo axis, a route frequently used by insurgents in the Lake Chad Basin.
The explosion destroyed the site, which was located between Arinna Maimasallaci and Arinna Ciki and served as an IED manufacturing hub. Military sources said the hub is now likely non-operational, and the loss of Abu Umar and other bomb makers could set back ISWAP’s ability to produce and plant explosives in the area.
Authorities are considering follow-up air and ground operations to take advantage of the setback and limit the group’s movement along key routes in Marte axis.
