18 Boko Haram Militants Surrender To Nigerian Military as Factions Clash in Borno

TEHRAN (FNA)- At least 18 members of the Boko Haram militant group and their families surrendered to Nigerian military after bloody clashes erupted between factions loyal to the group’s founder, Abubakar Shekau, and the ISIL-backed Abu Musab Albarnawi in Northeastern town of Monguno, Borno state.

“They are under custody of Monguno command and we believe the dual battle between Albarnawi and Shekau’s camps may have compelled them to sneak out and surrender,” Ali Mohammed, a member of a vigilante group in northeastern town of Monguno, said, 360 Nobs reported.

Trouble started within the hegemony of the sect after the ISIL terror group announced Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the son of Boko Haram’s founder Mohammed Yusuf, as the sect’s new leader to replace Abubakar Shekau.

Even though his allegiance remains with the ISIL, the undeterred Shekau insisted that he was still in charge of the Nigerian-based ferocious death cult.

Sources with impeccable cognizance of the happenings disclosed that there have been deadly skirmishes between Boko Haram’s factions led by Shekau and ISIL-backed al-Barnawi respectively.

Last Thursday, several fighters from Shekau’s camp were said to have been killed in two separate gun battles with ISIL-backed Barnawi gunmen in the Monguno area of Borno State near Lake Chad.

A source, Mele Kaka, told AFP that: “The Barnawi faction launched an offensive against the fighters of Shekau faction who were camped in Yele and Arafa villages.

“In Yele, the assailants killed three people from the Shekau camp, injured one and took one with them, while several others were killed in Arafa.”

“The Barnawi fighters told villagers after each attack that they were fighting the other camp because they are killing innocent people, looting their property and burning their homes.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian military has been declining to comment on the reported in-fighting when contacted by media.