… Troops lose 6 soldiers, inflicted heavy casualties on terrorists
Terrorists linked to the Islamic State group have reportedly killed six soldiers in a raid on a military base in northeastern Nigeria, according to news agency AFP.
AFP quoted two military officers, saying that the fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) 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.
The insurgents reportedly 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 the officers.
Fighter jets were reportedly deployed from the regional capital Maiduguri 100 kilometres (62 miles) away struck the attackers as they retreated.
“Air strikes against the fleeing terrorists resulted in multiple militant fatalities, the destruction of operational vehicles and their weaponry,” AFP quoted another military officer, without giving a toll of ISWAP casualties.
Defence Headquarters spokesman Major General Edward Buba confirmed the assault on the troops but didn’t disclose the 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,” he told Channels Television.
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.
AFP