According to a forecast by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the Lake Chad Basin may soon be the scene of drone assaults by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weaponization and adaptation, according to the research, is a new development in the ISWAP’s operational strategy and has the potential to make the war worse by altering the conflict’s dynamics and giving the violent extremist group the upper hand over its victim nations.
According to ISS, its research demonstrates that ISWAP was already testing delivery drones to transport Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), including determining the amount of weight they could carry, their range, and their time in the air.
According to the research, the threat goes beyond military targets and may impact humanitarian service delivery, adding that the Nigerian military had inflicted losses on Boko Haram factions, Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) and ISWAP, forcing the latter to re-strategise.
The ISS report further revealed that currently, ISWAP’s use of drones has been limited to propaganda, surveillance and communication.
The research, which includes an analysis of publicly available propaganda materials and interviews with former combatants and associates, revealed ISWAP’s elaborate use of communication technology including satellite and android phones, drones, social media platforms including Telegram and WhatsApp, high-speed printers, laptops, high-definition digital cameras, Wi-Fi, clip-on microphones, walkie-talkies, and data compression and archiving software.
The report said, “All these tools are used by the media team headed by Abba Yusuf (Abu Rumaisa), son of late Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf.
“The team’s primary function is to showcase ISWAP as a successful jihadist group,” to “Encourage recruitment and present a positive image that cements its position as the top Islamic State affiliate globally.
“The media department also handles relations with other violent extremist groups, including Islamic State.”
The ISS said that former ISWAP members, including from the media unit, revealed how the department functions.
It said that staff members are recruited from within the group and taught the basics of operating the equipment, mostly cameras.
According to the report, they accompany fighters and wait at a distance to be invited to take photos and videos, usually when things go ISWAP’s way. The raw footage and pictures are sent to Islamic State, which produces the propaganda material. The group shares the content with ISWAP’s media team which distributes it through a private and members-only Telegram account.
Sources, according to ISS, said that ISWAP used Thuraya Wi-Fi and spent about US$6 000 monthly on data, adding that the sources said Lagos State in Nigeria was the main supply source but that ISWAP encountered a problem with the supply, forcing it to switch to Chad.
They revealed that a particular Thuraya XT-Hotspot model marked as the world’s fastest Wi-Fi via satellite for communication stands out as a possible device used by ISWAP and it is available in Nigeria but mainly in Lagos.
The sources claim ISWAP has dedicated vehicles fitted with internet services to facilitate communication and data sharing on the go.
The media team uses one of these vehicles when it accompanies fighters, enabling them to immediately share material from the battlefield, revealing how ISWAP can release information quickly, including images and videos, sometimes within hours of attacks.
However, the security policy expert charged security agencies to sustain surveillance on supply routes of the drones’ deployment through checkpoint searches which “have proved successful”.
It said, “Those bringing in equipment and accessories should explain their destinations; collaboration among security forces in the four affected Lake Chad Basin countries can help.”
On military collaborators who assist terrorists, it encouraged the military to “hold their personnel to the highest standards and use an independent ombudsman to deter corruption”, while civilians colluding with terror groups and the government authorities have been advised to liaise with community leaders and relevant groups to identify and disrupt networks helping terrorists.
The research further recommended increased government investment in technology and partnership with tech companies.
“Going after ISWAP’s money is vital…to its major revenue base. Curtailing access to technology will prevent it from using tech to plan and execute attacks, spread propaganda and recruit,” it said.
