Insurgents Confirm Death Of Propagandist Salim Al-Barnawi After Failed Base Attack

An insurgent group has confirmed the death of Abu Salim al-Barnawi, a media operative linked to it, after a failed attack on a Nigerian military base in Borno State.

The confirmation came through an obituary video circulated by the group and reported by Vanguard, Punch and Daily Post. The reports said al-Barnawi worked as a photographer, cameraman and propaganda figure for the insurgents.

Military information officer Captain Mohammed Goni said the fighter was killed during an attempted raid on a Nigerian military camp last week. The reports also linked him to earlier operations in the Lake Chad area and raids into Cameroon before he joined the group’s media wing.

Punch reported that the video lasted just over three minutes and showed al-Barnawi with a camera and during operations by the armed group. Daily Post described the group as ISWAP and said its obituary portrayed him as one of its senior media operatives.

The reports did not give a full casualty figure from the failed base attack, but they agreed that al-Barnawi was among the fighters killed by Nigerian troops.

Sources: Vanguard, Punch, Daily Post