In northeastern Nigeria, six soldiers were reportedly killed during a raid on a military base by terrorists linked to the Islamic State group, AFP reported. The attack, carried out by fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), occurred in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday in SabonGari, located in Borno State’s Damboa district. The insurgents, arriving in trucks and on motorcycles, set fire to the base and army vehicles.
“We lost six soldiers in the ISWAP attack after an intense gun battle,” one military officer stated. Fighter jets, deployed from the regional capital Maiduguri, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away, launched air strikes on the retreating attackers. “Air strikes against the fleeing terrorists led to multiple militant fatalities, and the destruction of their vehicles and weaponry,” another officer confirmed, although no specific casualty figures for ISWAP were provided.
Major General Edward Buba, spokesperson for Defence Headquarters, confirmed the assault but withheld casualty details. “It is confirmed that troops suffered setbacks in operations in the area. An inquiry has been launched to determine the exact events, after which further details will be provided,” he said.
Since 2009, northern Nigeria has been embroiled in a conflict involving jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and its rival faction, ISWAP, as well as armed criminal groups. The violence has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced approximately two million people. In November, ISWAP fighters also raided a base in Kareto village near the Niger border, killing five Nigerian soldiers and injuring ten others.
