A video has surfaced showing Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters conducting burial rites for about 30 of their members in northern Borno State. The burials followed Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airstrikes in the Mallam Fatori axis, carried out as part of Operation HADIN KAI. The strikes targeted ISWAP fighters moving along waterways near Kaniram Island, based on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) reports. Counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama shared the video on X, citing security sources who confirmed the casualties. The footage, obtained by DAILY POST, shows militants in military fatigues gathered around graves in a remote area. The Nigerian military has not issued an official statement confirming the operation. The incident underscores ongoing military activity in the Lake Chad region, where ISWAP maintains a significant presence. Previous reports from Wednesday indicated that approximately 30 insurgents were neutralized in the area.

💡 NaijaBuzz Take

ISWAP is burying its dead after NAF strikes, yet the military remains silent while the group's video circulates freely. If the operation was precise and successful, why is the government not confirming it? The absence of an official narrative cedes the information space to insurgents who use such footage to project resilience. This silence risks normalizing the presence of terrorist content in Nigeria's public discourse.

💡 NaijaBuzz is an AI-assisted news aggregator. This content is curated from third-party sources — NaijaBuzz is not the original publisher and is not responsible for the accuracy of source reporting. The NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion only, not established fact. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. NaijaBuzz does not endorse the views expressed in source articles.