ISWAP Attack on Borno Military Base Claims Lives of Six Soldiers

A deadly raid by ISWAP militants on a military base in Borno State leaves six soldiers dead. Authorities vow to strengthen security in the region.

According to the news agency AFP, militants associated with the Islamic State group are reported to have killed six soldiers during a raid on a military base in northeastern Nigeria.

According to AFP, two military officers reported that fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) allegedly launched a pre-dawn attack using trucks and motorcycles on Sunday at the base in Sabon Gari, located in Borno State’s Damboa district.

According to reports, the insurgents set fire to both the base and army vehicles. “We lost six soldiers in an attack by ISWAP terrorists on the base following a fierce gun battle,” one of the officers told AFP.

Fighter jets were reportedly deployed from the regional capital, Maiduguri, located 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. They struck the attackers as they retreated.

According to AFP, another military officer reported that air strikes targeting the fleeing terrorists led to numerous militant fatalities and destroyed operational vehicles along with their weaponry. However, no specific figures on ISWAP casualties were provided.

Major General Edward Buba, the spokesman for Defence Headquarters, confirmed that there was an assault on the troops but did not reveal any casualty figures.

“The confirmation has come that troops encountered setbacks during operations in the area. An inquiry is underway to establish the specifics of what happened, and I will share the details once available,” he stated.

Since 2009, northern Nigeria has faced challenges from numerous jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and a competing faction, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), along with armed criminal organizations.

The conflict has resulted in over 40,000 deaths and forced approximately two million people to leave their homes in the northeast.

In November, five Nigerian soldiers lost their lives and ten others were injured in a raid by ISWAP fighters on a base located in Kareto village near the Niger border.