Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have reportedly killed Bako Gorgore, a senior commander of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), during a military operation in Nigeria’s north-east.
Gatekeepers News reports that Gorgore was widely known within extremist circles for leading the fierce assault against the faction of Boko Haram loyal to Abubakar Shekau, the former leader of the insurgent group who died in 2021 following clashes with ISWAP fighters in Sambisa Forest.
According to reports, the terrorist commander was killed by Nigerian troops during a counter-insurgency operation targeting ISWAP elements operating around the Lake Chad region. The offensive was carried out by soldiers under Operation Hadin Kai, the joint military task force responsible for combating insurgency in the north-east.
Security sources said Gorgore had played a key role in several militant operations and was considered one of the influential field commanders within the ISWAP structure. His involvement in the offensive against Shekau’s faction elevated his prominence among fighters aligned with the Islamic State-linked group.
The development is seen as another tactical success for Nigerian security forces in their ongoing campaign against insurgent groups operating across Borno and neighbouring states in the Lake Chad basin. Military authorities have intensified operations in recent months to weaken the leadership structure and operational capacity of terrorist groups in the region.
The north-east has experienced insurgency for more than a decade, with Boko Haram and its breakaway faction ISWAP carrying out attacks on military formations and civilian communities across the region.
