Several senior commanders of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), a Boko Haram faction, have reportedly been killed after fighters of the rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a deadly ambush in Borno State.

The latest clash, which underscores the lingering rivalry between the two insurgent groups, reportedly occurred around Bula Murge in Bama Local Government Area.

Security analyst Zagazola Makama disclosed that the ambush took place in the Gargash area near Bula Murge, about 11 kilometres north of Miyanti and 26 kilometres northeast of Bama, where ISWAP fighters allegedly carried out a surprise attack on JAS positions.

According to the report, the assault inflicted heavy casualties on the rival faction, with several prominent JAS commanders feared to have been killed.

Those reportedly killed include Abu Ubaida, Modu Kori, Alhaji Modu, Mure, Zarkawi, Sheriff and Modu Maye, all identified as senior commanders of the JAS faction operating in the area.

Makama further reported that intercepted communications indicated surviving JAS fighters had begun relocating their women and children to Bula Daloye after their camps were overrun during the offensive.

“The attack forced surviving JAS fighters into disarray, with intercepted communications indicating that the group had begun plans to evacuate its women and families to Bula Daloye following the destruction of their camps,” the report stated.

The report added that Bula Murge and Nguro Bafuye, two settlements previously occupied by the faction, were set ablaze during the attack, destroying key shelters and logistics facilities used by the insurgents.

Security sources were quoted as saying the latest confrontation had dealt a major blow to the JAS faction and presented an opportunity for Nigerian troops to intensify ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the area.

According to the report, military authorities have directed troops operating around Miyanti, Bama, Kumshe and neighbouring communities to sustain offensive operations aimed at preventing either faction from regrouping or re-establishing operational bases.

Security commanders have also reportedly been urged to maintain sustained pressure on both insurgent factions as part of broader efforts to further degrade their operational capability across the southern fringes of the Sambisa Forest.