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Throwback Times Nigeria has sighted fresh reports in Very Nigerian Media Platform after some fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operating in the Timbuktu Triangle reportedly turned their weapons on one another following a disagreement over a planned attack.
Counter-terrorism expert Zagazola Makama disclosed this in a post, alleging that rival commanders engaged in a deadly confrontation after a dispute over an operation scheduled for the previous night.
According to him, one of the commanders, identified simply as Abu Ali, refused to permit fighters under his command to participate in the planned attack.
This decision reportedly angered another senior commander, who accused Abu Ali of deliberately sabotaging the operation and questioned his loyalty to the group.
Makama stated that the clash was not an isolated incident but the result of weeks of growing tension among ISWAP commanders over: Operational decisions, Dwindling resources, Management of logistics within the enclave
He added that Abu Ali’s decline approval of the operation merely exposed deeper grievances that had been building within the terrorist group, with rival commanders increasingly competing for influence, manpower, and control of supplies.
The Timbuktu Triangle has long served as one of ISWAP’s major operational strongholds, housing commanders, training camps, and logistics bases from which attacks are coordinated across parts of the Lake Chad Basin.
This internal conflict highlights increasing instability and factional tension within ISWAP’s leadership structure.
