Terrorists linked to the Islamic State group have reportedly killed six soldiers in a raid on a military base in northeastern Nigeria, according to the AFP news agency.
AFP quoted two military officers who stated that fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a pre-dawn attack on Sunday using trucks and motorcycles at the base in Sabon Gari, located in Borno State’s Damboa district.
The insurgents allegedly set the base and several army vehicles ablaze. “We lost six soldiers in the ISWAP terrorists’ attack on the base after an intense gun battle,” one officer told AFP.
Fighter jets from Maiduguri, the regional capital 100 kilometres (62 miles) away, reportedly struck the attackers as they retreated.
“Air strikes against the fleeing terrorists caused multiple militant fatalities and destroyed operational vehicles and weaponry,” another military officer reported, though no figures for ISWAP casualties were given.
Major General Edward Buba, spokesman for the Defence Headquarters, confirmed the assault but did not disclose casualty numbers.
“It is confirmed that troops suffered setbacks in operations in the area. An inquiry is underway to establish the details, which will be shared in due course,” he stated.
Since 2009, jihadist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as armed criminal gangs, have plagued northern Nigeria. The conflict has killed over 40,000 people and displaced approximately two million.
In a similar attack last November, ISWAP fighters killed five Nigerian soldiers and injured ten more in Kareto village near the Niger border.