Terrorists from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a deadly raid on a military base in northeastern Nigeria, killing six soldiers, according to reports from news agency AFP.
The pre-dawn attack occurred on Sunday at a base in Sabon Gari, located in Borno State’s Damboa district. Fighters reportedly arrived in trucks and on motorcycles, setting the base and army vehicles ablaze.
“We lost six soldiers in the ISWAP terrorists’ attack on the base after an intense gun battle,” one military officer told AFP.
As the insurgents retreated, fighter jets were deployed from Maiduguri, the state capital about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. The airstrikes reportedly inflicted significant casualties on the militants and destroyed their vehicles and weaponry.
“Air strikes against the fleeing terrorists resulted in multiple militant fatalities, the destruction of operational vehicles and their weaponry,” another military officer told AFP, though no specific toll of ISWAP casualties was provided.
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Major General Edward Buba, spokesman for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, confirmed the attack but did not disclose casualty figures.
“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,” Buba said.
Since 2009, northeastern Nigeria has been at the center of a deadly insurgency led by jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and its offshoot ISWAP. The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced around two million people.
The latest assault comes just two months after ISWAP fighters killed five soldiers and injured ten others during a raid on a military base in Kareto village, near the Niger border.