ISWAP fighters detonated a command-improvised explosive device (IED) and opened fire on troops of Operation HADIN KAI on a patrol along the Baga–Cross Kauwa Main Supply Route (MSR) near Garin Giwa, Kukawa LGA. In the ensuing firefight, troops killed eight ISWAP fighters, including three high‑ranking commanders: Modu Dogo (a Munzir/field commander from Dogon Chukun), an unidentified Munzir, and Abu Aisha (a Qaid/sector commander from Tumbun Mota). Several other insurgents fled with gunshot wounds, and troops recovered 14 motorcycles abandoned by the terrorists. No military casualties were reported.
15 Sept 2025 · Garin Giwa, Kukawa, Borno
Deaths
8
Injured
0
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
8
Perpetrators
ISWAP
Response
Troops of Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI repelled the ambush, pursued fleeing attackers, and recovered motorcycles and other logistics. No further action was required.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Insurgency tactics, military counter-operations
Trajectory
This clash is part of ISWAP’s sustained campaign to challenge military control of key supply routes in the Lake Chad basin. It follows similar attempts to disrupt operations along the same MSR in the months prior, and fits into a broader pattern of insurgent attacks that target army patrols with IEDs and ambushes. The heavy loss of senior commanders, including a Qaid, is a significant blow to ISWAP’s command structure in the area and may force a temporary leadership vacuum. Nevertheless, the group’s ability to conduct such ambushes, including the use of IEDs, signals that it remains a potent threat.
Cycle notes
The operation echoes the tactics of the earlier Boko Haram insurgency, which also relied heavily on IEDs and ambushes along remote tracks to challenge military convoys. However, the professional targeting of a command IED and the emphasis on recovering motorcycles reflect an adaptation to the long‑running counter‑insurgency campaign: insurgents now prioritise mobility and logistics to survive and continue to disrupt. The neutralisation of senior commanders also follows the familiar cycle of “decapitation strikes,” which often lead to temporary fragmentation and then a resurgence as new leaders emerge. The Garin Giwa area itself has a history of such ambushes, with a major ISWAP attack on troops there in September 2020, which shows the persistence of this particular flashpoint across several years.
Pattern
Ambush
Related — Ambush
During a final campaign push for the 2019 General Elections, Governor Kashim Shettima’s massive motorcade (comprising over 100 vehicles) was ambushed between Dikwa and Gamboru Ngala. Insurgents strategically allowed the front of the long convoy—including the Governor’s armored vehicle—to pass through the village of Maula before opening fire on the rear section. The attack was launched under the cover of a thick dust storm (harmattan), which blinded security personnel and allowed the militants to isolate the tail-end vehicles
Boko Haram insurgents ambushed Nigerian Army personnel from the 50 Task Force Brigade in the Lake Chad region. The attack followed the military’s successful takeover of a Boko Haram enclave in Krenowa five days earlier. The soldiers came under heavy bombardment, forcing them to withdraw and abandon 12 out of 15 motorbikes deployed for the operation. An Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was damaged, and its driver escaped with a leg injury. The ambush killed a lieutenant and two vigilante members; their bodies could not be recovered immediately due to intense insurgent firepower.
A security convoy—acting as a backup for Governor Babagana Zulum and a committee on Baga reconstruction—was decimated in a sophisticated ambush. While the Governor had flown to Baga by helicopter, the convoy was hit near Korochara, between Monguno and Cross Kauwa. The attackers utilized multiple IEDs to disable the lead vehicles before opening fire with heavy machine guns from the surrounding tall grass.