Northern Nigeria is facing an ascendant ISIS insurgency, drawing Washington into the fray.Since the jihadist insurgency in northern Nigeria began 13 years ago, the conflict has drastically changed in scope, amid concerted counterterrorism efforts from the Nigerian government, countless jihadist ideological splits, and international interventions. The 2020s began with ISIS and other terrorist groups on the back foot, but a change in tactics and fortunes has sent them back on the offensive in the last couple of years, turning the country into one of the foremost fronts in the Global War on Terror.Alexander Palmer, a fellow in the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Washington Examiner that ISIS in Nigeria is “on the march, they are increasingly active, and they’re increasingly threatening military targets,” with a large-scale military campaign ISIS calls “Camp Holocaust.”
Why has ISIS seen a change in fortune after years on the back foot?
The insurgency in northern Nigeria is notable for the frequency and scale of ideological disputes triggering violent internal conflicts. Over the past few years, northern Nigeria’s main ISIS affiliate, Islamic State West Africa Province, has emerged as the primary jihadist threat.
