Nigerian jihadists kill at least 10 troops in ‘coordinated’ raids

A string of jihadist attacks in Nigeria Monday killed at least 14 people, including 10 soldiers, according to local civilian and military sources.

A Nigerian military spokesman confirmed “several coordinated attacks” on military bases in the northeast but said all targeted locations remained under control.

Though the violence from Nigeria’s long-running jihadist insurgency has dipped from its peak a decade ago, the attacks come as part of a renewed wave of assaults on security forces in the region.

Fighters from Boko Haram and rival Islamic State West Africa Province carried out separate attacks on bases in Borno state — the epicentre of the conflict — and neighbouring Yobe state, sources said.

According to a Nigerian security report seen by AFP, ISWAP militants launched an overnight attack on a base in Borno’s Kukawa town, in the Lake Chad area, killing four troops including a military commander.

Ali Kaka, an anti-jihadist militia member assisting the military, said the militants engaged troops in a three-hour gun battle, killing three troops and a militiaman.

Meanwhile, suspected Boko Haram militants attacked Dalwa, in Borno’s Konduga district, killing two soldiers and four residents, said Shettima Isa Bukar, the local chief of the community.

The jihadist fighters set fire to more than 200 homes before they withdrew, Bukar told AFP.

In neighbouring Yobe state, suspected Boko Haram militants raided a base in the town of Goniri, killing four troops and setting fire to buildings and military vehicles, said Manu Ibrahim, a resident of nearby town of Katarko.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sani Uba, a military spokesman in the northeast, said a series of assaults “claimed the lives of some brave and gallant soldiers, including an outstanding officer in Kukawa who paid the ultimate price”.

He did not say how many soldiers were killed in the attacks.

Boko Haram and rival ISWAP have recently intensified attacks on bases in the northeast as their 16-year campaign to establish a caliphate grinds on.

The conflict has killed more than 40,000 and displaced around two million.

Last week, seven soldiers and 11 civilians were killed when Boko Haram fighters raided a base and attacked the nearby town of Ngoshe in Gwoza district, near the border with Cameroon, shooting and abducting residents.

In February, the United States began deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to the country’s soldiers in fighting the jihadist groups.

The deployment follows claims of “genocide” against Nigerian Christians by the United States — allegations rejected by the Nigerian government and independent analysts who insist the violence in Nigeria affects both Christians and Muslims.

str-abu/nro/kjm

The post Nigerian jihadists kill at least 10 troops in ‘coordinated’ raids appeared first on Vanguard News.