Terrorists Lose Key Propaganda Chief As Military Targets ISWAP Media Network
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
A terrorist group’s battlefield strength depends not only on its fighters but also on its ability to spread fear and recruit followers.
Nigeria’s military says it has struck both by eliminating a senior ISWAP propaganda operative during a failed attack in Borno State.
Operation HADIN KAI says it has eliminated Abu Salim al-Barnawi, a senior Boko Haram/ISWAP commander who later became the group’s chief photographer and propaganda operative, dealing what it described as a significant blow to the terrorists’ media network.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Acting Military Information Officer, Captain Mohammed Goni, said Abu Salim was killed during a failed terrorist attack on a military position at Cross Kauwa on 12 July 2026.
He was reportedly eliminated alongside other members of the group’s mobile media team, including Abu Umar Khattab and Abu Khalid Usman.
The military said troops recovered a video camera during the operation, reinforcing intelligence that ISWAP media operatives were embedded with the attackers to document and publicise the assault.
According to Operation HADIN KAI, intelligence indicates that Abu Salim previously led cross-border raids into Cameroon before moving to the group’s media wing, where he coordinated propaganda videos and photographs aimed at recruiting new members and promoting extremist ideology.
The military added that the terrorist group has since issued an obituary for Abu Salim, describing it as confirmation of the growing pressure on its ranks.
It said the operation also killed several other high-profile fighters, including a Syrian national and a senior commander identified as Aliyu Zabarmari.
Operation HADIN KAI reaffirmed its commitment to intelligence-led operations to dismantle Boko Haram and ISWAP networks, disrupt their propaganda machinery and restore lasting peace across Nigeria’s North-East.
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