Breaking: Terror Strikes Again: ISWAP Takes Over Borno Community, Soldiers Captured

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants are said to have taken complete control of the Marte Local Government Area in Borno State after a fierce assault that overwhelmed Nigerian forces last weekend.
A military insider, who sought anonymity, told journalists that the terrorists carried out a series of coordinated strikes, forcing the Nigerian Army to abandon its positions in the region on May 12, 2025.
According to the source, following a series of sporadic attacks, the military was forced to retreat from Marte at 3 a.m. on May 12, 2025.

“Many soldiers (unspecified numbers) have been captured, and many have deserted; those that run toward Dikwa are currently stationed at the 24th Task Force Brigade. ISWAP has taken over Marte.

“All gunshots were heard in Dikwa, and the Nigerian Air Force was seen hovering over the area. The number of casualties has yet to be determined, according to the source.

According to reports, the takeover of Marte, a crucial local government area in the Lake Chad region, is a significant blow to Nigeria’s military, which has struggled to resolve the decade-long insurgency in the North-East.

The town has frequently changed hands in recent years, making it a symbolic and strategic target for ISWAP and government forces.

According to reports, Boko Haram attacked a Nigerian Army base in Borno State, killing a large number of soldiers.

The previous assault, which happened on Saturday night at the 153 Task Force Battalion’s base in Marte Local Government Council, resulted in troop displacement.

According to sources, the attackers allegedly set fire to armored vehicles and stole ammunition during the raid.

“There was another Boko Haram dislodgement in Marte 153 TF Battalion on Saturday night, so many of our men are feared dead as we have already lost communication with the base since the attack,” one of the sources, an Army Major, told SaharaReporters.

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The 153rd Task Force Battalion (153 TF Battalion) in Borno State, Nigeria, has engaged in several clashes with Boko Haram, including ambushes and the retaking of strategic areas such as Marte.

This follows a recent incident in which 22 soldiers, including a commanding officer, were killed during an assault on a military installation in Malam-Fatori, Borno State’s Abadam Local Government Area.

For more than ten years, Nigeria has been embroiled in a severe conflict with insurgent factions primarily active in the North East region of the country.

The most notable of these groups is Boko Haram, which originated in the early 2000s but escalated its violent activities around 2009, initiating a campaign of terror characterized by bombings, mass kidnappings, and assaults on both civilian and military targets.