No fewer than five suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists has been reportedly killed in a premature explosion while assembling explosives in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counter insurgency reporter, the terrorists who died in the explosion include an alleged medical officer and four improvised explosive device (IED) specialists.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at Maina Daya Village, located between Sabon Tumbu and Jubilaram, about 29 kilometres east of Monguno.
According to the sources, the explosion killed Usman Dan Fulani, described as an ISWAP medical officer, alongside two foreign Arab IED technicians and two ISWAP bomb-making experts.
The sources said the incident occurred while the terrorists were allegedly preparing improvised explosive devices for deployment, suggesting the group was planning further attacks along key military supply routes in the Sector 1 area of Operation HADIN KAI.