Boko Haram jihadists on the run after coordinated regional military offensive
Jihadist fighters from Boko Haram have abandoned their strongholds along the Lake Chad basin following intense aerial bombardments and ground operations conducted by Chad, with critical support from Nigeria and Niger. The developments were confirmed by local witnesses and intelligence sources from Nigeria.
Since Friday, Chadian warplanes have been targeting remote islands scattered across the Lake Chad region—a vast, marshy expanse shared by Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. This area has served as a jihadist stronghold since 2009, hosting both Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The military strikes have claimed the lives of dozens of Nigerian fishermen working on islands under Boko Haram control, where the group enforces a brutal taxation system on local populations.
Graphic footage obtained shows several severely burned fishermen receiving treatment at a hospital in Bosso, Niger.
Jihadist fighters flee island strongholds under heavy bombardment
«Boko Haram militants are abandoning their hideouts in the Shuwa region, near the borders of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad,» revealed Suleiman Hassan, a local fisherman who arrived in Maiduguri—the capital of Borno State—after escaping the area with fellow fishermen.
The exodus follows relentless airstrikes that have forced jihadist fighters to abandon multiple island bases. Hassan specifically cited the islands of Dogon Chukwu, Kangarwa, Gashakar, Yawan Mango, and Kwatar Mota as key locations from which militants have fled using small canoes, often with their families in tow.
Chadian troops engaged in direct clashes with jihadist forces on Kaukeri Island, widely recognized as Boko Haram’s primary stronghold within the lake’s territory.
Military response intensifies after deadly Boko Haram ambushes
The offensive comes in retaliation for a series of deadly attacks carried out by Boko Haram against Chadian armed forces. Last week, Chad declared three days of national mourning following an ambush that resulted in the deaths of two high-ranking generals. Just two days prior, another attack on a military base along the lake’s shores left at least 24 Chadian soldiers dead.
According to a Nigerian intelligence source, Nigeria and Niger are actively participating in the coordinated operations. «The airstrikes are being jointly conducted by Chad, Nigeria, and Niger, with each country deploying two fighter jets,» the source stated, requesting anonymity.
«The jihadists and their families are now stranded along the lake’s shores, too afraid to move toward ISWAP-controlled zones—a rival faction that split from Boko Haram in 2016,» the source added.
The decade-long insurgency has left thousands dead and displaced millions, primarily in Nigeria’s northeast. Violence has since spread to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting these nations to revive their Multinational Joint Task Force—established in 1994 to combat regional terrorism.