The leader of the Nigerian jihadist group Iswap, affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, is dead, a senior Nigerian army official said on Thursday (October 14th).
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I can say with certainty that al-Barnawi is dead,
" the chief of the defense staff, General Lucky Irabor, told reporters.
He did not specify the circumstances of the death of the jihadist leader, already given for dead by the Nigerian authorities in the past.
The Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) has not confirmed the death of al-Barnawi.
At war with another jihadist group
Iswap, recognized by the Islamic State, was born in 2016 from a split with the other Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram, which it accuses in particular of the murders of Muslim civilians.
After gaining strength, Iswap became the dominant jihadist group in northeast Nigeria, stepping up attacks on the Nigerian military.
The Iswap leader rose to prominence after splitting from Boko Haram in 2016 over disputes with his commander Abubakar Shekau, who died earlier this year during infighting between the two factions.
Since Abubakar Shekau's death, according to security sources, Abu Musab al-Barnawi had consolidated control of Iswap in northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, where Boko Haram loyalists are still fighting them.
Since the rebellion of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram began in 2009 in northeast Nigeria, the conflict has left nearly 36,000 dead and two million displaced.
