Terrorists overrun military base, kill 8 soldiers

 

A raid by Islamic State-affiliated jihadists on a military facility in Borno State has left eight Nigerian soldiers dead and 23 others wounded, three security sources told AFP on Wednesday.

The sources said about 70 fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), riding on motorcycles, attacked a base in Cross Kauwa village, triggering a fierce exchange of gunfire.

“Eight soldiers paid the supreme price, and 23 others sustained injuries,” a military officer said of the attack which struck on Monday.

Two members of an anti-jihadist militia supporting the military said the terrorists mobilised from a camp on Dabar Masara island in Lake Chad and took a long detour before launching the assault, confirming the casualty figures.

“The terrorists burnt down the base along with 11 gun trucks and took away the anti-aircraft guns mounted on them,” said one anti-jihadist militia source.

All the sources requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the incident.

The base, located about 24 kilometres from the fishing town of Baga, has served as a major security buffer protecting the area from jihadist incursions.

ISWAP and its rival, Boko Haram, have recently stepped up attacks on military formations across the northeast.

According to the military, insurgents attacked two bases in Borno at the weekend, leaving soldiers and anti-jihadist militia dead or injured.

Late on Saturday, ISWAP fighters stormed a base in Mandaragirau near the Sambisa forest stronghold, killing and wounding an unspecified number of troops and militia, the military said in a statement.

In a separate incident, Boko Haram attacked another base in Pulka near the Cameroon border, destroying equipment and accommodation before reinforcements helped repel the assault, the statement added.

The United Nations says jihadist violence has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced about two million others in the northeast since 2009.

The conflict later spread into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, leading to the formation of a regional military coalition to confront the insurgents.

However, the coalition has weakened in recent years following Niger’s withdrawal after a diplomatic row with Nigeria in the aftermath of the country’s 2023 military coup.

Meanwhile, the United States is deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support in the fight against the jihadist groups. The US Africa Command said 200 personnel are expected to take part in the deployment overall.