The Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has successfully intercepted and eliminated Abubakar Ismail, an element of the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP), in Darak Town, Cameroon.Â
Ismail was apprehended on May 31, 2024, while he was digging a hole near a helipad in Darak.
According to intelligence sources, security expert Zagazola Makama confirmed that Ismail was identified as an ISWAP spy deployed to gather intelligence against the troops, Ismail was neutralized when he attempted to escape custody.
In a related development, a Boko Haram member named Bayanze Mustapha surrendered to the troops of the 21 Armoured Brigade in Bama.
Bayanze fled the Sambisa forest amid a military incursion. He was among several terrorists who fled in fear of being eliminated after the troops captured and razed dozens of their camps.
 Bayanze surrendered with his rifle on June 1, explaining that he escaped from an area known as ‘Garin Ali’ in the Sambisa forest.
He recounted to the troops that their camps were continuously invaded, leaving them with no food, homes, or supplies, thus making survival impossible. He also mentioned that ISWAP elements were hunting down Boko Haram members.
In another incident, ISWAP continued its quest for vehicles by infiltrating Geidam town. They made off with two trucks, a Hilux and a Toyota Land Cruiser pickup truck, along with an unspecified number of arms from a CJTF camp in the early hours of the previous day.
Fortunately, there were no casualties reported as the camp was unoccupied at the time of the attack.
 Security expert Zagazola Makama highlighted that this incident supports recent assertions about a likely increase in attacks using Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) around Lake Chad.
Over the past two months, ISWAP has executed five successful vehicle thefts in the border towns.
Makama emphasized that the acquisition of these vehicles would enhance ISWAP’s mobility and ability to conduct more attacks, potentially leading to a rise in VBIED attacks.
 He also noted that both the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) and the Nigerien Air Force had jointly eliminated almost all of ISWAP’s vehicles operating around Lake Chad.
The proximity of Geidam to the Diffa-Maine road in the Niger Republic, with its direct link road, suggests that the same ISWAP faction is conducting operations in these areas.
The continued vehicle thefts pose a significant threat, necessitating increased vigilance and precautionary measures from authorities and commuters.
