Camcorder recovered from dead ISWAP cameraman exposes foreign terrorists in Borno

Nigerian troops repelled an ISWAP attack in Borno State and recovered a camcorder from a slain terrorist cameraman that reportedly exposed the involvement of foreign facilitators, including a Palestinian trainer and a Moroccan doctor, in the group’s operations.

A Sony camcorder recovered from a dead ISWAP cameraman has allegedly exposed the involvement of foreign operatives in the terror group’s activities in Borno State.

The device was recovered after troops of 19 Brigade, Sector 3, Operation Hadin Kai, repelled an attempted ISWAP infiltration at Cross Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Area on Saturday, July 11, around 10:20 p.m.

According to the military, soldiers detected the terrorists moving under cover of darkness and responded with coordinated firepower, forcing them to abandon the operation and flee. The insurgents were reportedly attempting to loot medical supplies meant for treating cholera, supporting recent intelligence that an outbreak had spread through ISWAP camps, with some infected fighters allegedly executed by the group.

During the gun battle, an ISWAP cameraman was killed, and troops recovered a Sony camcorder containing operational recordings and propaganda materials.

Preliminary forensic analysis of the footage, according to Operation Hadin Kai, showed that four senior ISWAP commanders coordinated the attack alongside three foreign terrorist facilitators.

One was identified as Abu Ishaq, a Palestinian Arab believed to be ISWAP’s overall trainer, while another was named Abu Thaiba, a Moroccan medical doctor allegedly serving within the network. The identity of the third foreign operative remains unestablished.

The military said the discovery reinforced intelligence assessments that ISWAP continues receiving training, medical support and specialist assistance from foreign terrorist networks.

Troops also recovered rounds of PKT and 7.62mm special ammunition, terrorist uniforms and other combat materials from the scene. Post-operation satellite imagery reportedly showed insurgents evacuating the bodies of fallen fighters during their retreat, while human intelligence sources confirmed ISWAP suffered heavy casualties, with several fighters escaping with gunshot wounds.

Two soldiers were injured and evacuated by air for treatment, and were said to be in stable condition.