Six soldiers were killed in a raid on a military base in northeastern Nigeria by terrorists linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The insurgents reportedly launched a pre-dawn attack in trucks and on motorcycles on Sunday on the base in Sabon Gari in Borno State’s Damboa district and set fire to the base along with army vehicles.
“We lost six soldiers in the ISWAP terrorists attack on the base after an intense gun battle,” AFP quoted one of two military officers who spoke with its correspondent.
Fighter jets were reportedly deployed from the regional capital Maiduguri 100 kilometres (62 miles) away struck the attackers as they retreated.
Another military officer said, “Air strikes against the fleeing terrorists resulted in multiple militant fatalities, the destruction of operational vehicles and their weaponry,” without giving a toll of ISWAP casualties.
Confirming the assault on the troops, Defence Headquarters spokesman Major General Edward Buba said, “It is confirmed that troops suffered setbacks in operations in the area. An inquiry has been set up to confirm the details of what transpired, after which I will provide the details in due course.”
However, he did not disclose the casualty figures.
Since 2009, northern Nigeria has been plagued by various jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and a rival faction the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), as well as armed criminal groups.
The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast.
In November, five Nigerian troops were killed and 10 more injured when ISWAP fighters raided a base in Kareto village near the border with Niger.
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