Five Nigerian soldiers have been killed and a number are missing after an ambush by Boko Haram’s Islamic State-backed faction, security sources said Sunday.

Fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Friday opened fire on a column of civilian vehicles under military escort in the northeastern Borno State, according to the sources who requested anonymity.

The troops were escorting residents from the village of Sabon Garin Kimba in dozens of trucks to a camp in the town of Damboa about 50 kilometres (30 miles) away, according to a militia fighting against the jihadists alongside the army.

They were being evacuated from the village, which lies 130 kilometres from the state capital Maiduguri, ahead of a major military offensive against ISWAP, which has recently increased its activities in the area.

Shocker! Gunmen stop Marian procession, kill four Catholics, burn Virgin Mary’s statue(Opens in a new browser tab)

“We lost five soldiers in the ambush, two were wounded and several are missing, their fate still unknown,” said one military officer.

IS-backed Boko Haram faction publishes ‘execution’ video of 5 Nigerian soldiers(Opens in a new browser tab)

He said the attackers seized two military trucks and tried to immobilise an armoured vehicle by destroying its tyres but the driver managed to drive it to safety.

“As they approached Bungiri village ISWAP laid an ambush on the convoy. The troops engaged the terrorists in a gun battle and all civilians were able to escape but five soldiers were killed,” a second military source said.

A search and rescue operation was under way, the officer said.

Last month the jihadists raided a nearby military base in Mararrabar Kimba, killing five troops and stealing weapons, while some 30 troops are still listed as missing.

ISWAP has since July last year targeted dozens of military bases in attacks that that have killed scores of soldiers.

On Monday, its fighters ransacked a base in the town of Gubio, 80 kilometres from Maiduguri, killing three soldiers, although the group claimed it killed 20 soldiers.

Boko Haram’s decade-long campaign of violence has killed 27,000 people and displaced around two million in Nigeria.

The violence has also spilled over into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to defeat the jihadist group. </s> MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Militants killed around 100 Nigerian soldiers in an attack on an army base on Sunday, security sources said on Thursday, blaming Islamic State West Africa.

The toll is among the highest since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015 and it could raise pressure on him ahead of an election in February, not least because he has claimed victory over the nine-year insurgency.

The insurgents attacked the base in the village of Metele in northeastern Borno state, the epicentre of a revolt by Boko Haram and its Islamic State splinter group.

“The insurgents took us unawares,” said an officer who requested anonymity. “The base was burned with arms and we lost about 100 soldiers. It is a huge loss.”

Many troops are missing, the sources said. One soldier said more troops were killed on Tuesday when an attempt to recover bodies from the initial attack was ambushed.

“We all flew because we didn’t know where the bullets were coming from,” he said. “They killed some of us who went to evacuate the bodies of the killed soldiers.”

“We left our amour, tanks and weapons. They were all there. The village is still under their control.”

Four security sources said around 100 died in Metele and the death toll was not final. The fifth said 96 died in the northeast in recent days, mostly in Metele.

The senate, which is controlled by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday suspended its session in honour of what it said were 44 dead soldiers after the Metele attack.

Opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, who is Buhari’s main rival, called on the government to support the families of dead soldiers.

A presidency spokesman said the military would issue a statement. Military spokesmen did not respond to requests for comment. The government and military often decline to acknowledge the scale of losses in the northeast.

Militants have killed hundreds of soldiers in the region in recent months. </s> At least three soldiers were killed and several missing after a Boko Haram attack on a military base in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, military and militia sources told AFP on Thursday.

Boko Haram fighters believed to be from the IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) late Wednesday attacked the base in the town of Kareto, 150km north of the state capital Maiduguri.

The militants temporarily dislodged troops from the base before being repelled with aerial support, the sources said.

“We lost three soldiers in the fight and several others are still missing,” a military officer in Maiduguri told AFP.

“The terrorists were smoked out of the base by a fighter jet which deployed to the scene,” said the officer who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the incident.

Troop reinforcements were sent to the base, the officer said. It was not clear if the jihadists took away weapons.

A civilian militia fighting Boko Haram in the area said troops withdrew to the town of Gubio, 60 km away, while Kareto residents fled across the border into Niger.

“The bodies of three soldiers were recovered after the attack,” said the militia who preferred not to be identified.

“More troops have arrived in Kareto but most residents have not returned,” he said.

It was the second attack on the military base in two years.

In April 2016, a Boko Haram raid left 24 soldiers wounded, according to military authorities.

Boko Haram jihadists late Wednesday also attacked Mammanti village, just outside Maiduguri, killing one person and burning the entire village before stealing hundreds of cattle, the local chief of the village and residents said.

“The insurgents came around 23:00 and opened indiscriminate fire,” Muhammad Mammanti, a resident, said.

“They killed one person and burnt the whole village and stole our cattle,” Mammanti said.

Earlier in the day a group of jihadists abducted seven women while working on a farm near the town of Bama, 70km from Maiduguri, after killing their male escort, militia sources said.

Boko Haram has stepped up attacks on farmers and loggers in recent years, accusing them of passing information on the group to the military.

Despite the government’s insistence that the group is near defeat, Boko Haram has recently carried out major attacks on military and civilian targets, killing scores.

More than 27 000 people have died since the start of the insurgency in the remote northeast in 2009 and 1.8 million are still homeless. AFP. </s> Nigerian troops repelled an attack on a military base in northeastern Borno state in which a soldier was killed and four others were injured, military and militia sources told AFP Saturday.

On Wednesday jihadists from IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province killed three soldiers when they temporarily seized control of another base in the town of Kareto, 200 kilometres away.

In the latest attack on Friday, the jihadists in several trucks carrying anti-aircraft guns attacked a base in the Kekeno village near the garrison town of Monguno, the sources said.

The militants were pushed back after a prolonged fight that lasted almost three hours with aerial support and reinforcements from Monguno.

"The terrorists made desperate efforts to overrun the base but were pushed back after heavy fighting," a military officer in Maiduguri said.

"Unfortunately we lost one soldier in the encounter and four others sustained injuries," the officer, who asked not to be named, added.

There was no indication of Boko Haram casualties.

Details of the attack were slow to emerge as telecommunications infrastructure has been destroyed by fighting and there are strict controls on movement in rural Borno state.

"The insurgents could not enter the base despite their number and heavy weapons," said a civilian militia fighting the jihadists who gave a similar account.

"I learnt one soldier was killed and a few others were wounded," the militia said,

Residents of Kekeno fled to Monguno following the attack, Monguno resident Adamu Sheriff said.

"Boko Haram attacked Kekeno around 5:30 pm (1630GMT) and engaged soldiers for almost three hours before they were forced out", said Sheriff who arrived Maiduguri on Saturday.

It was the second attempt by Boko Haram to takeover the base in two months.

In September the jihadists made a failed attempt to seize the Kekeno base and were pushed back after hours-long battle.

The Nigerian military said on Saturday the spokesman of an IS-affiliated Boko Haram jihadists faction was killed in the encounter with government troops.

In a statement on its Twitter account the military said Sale Ahmad Sale alias Baban Hassan identified as a member of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) was killed in a joint operation by the army and air force.

"The killing of the media leader is indicative of efforts by the NA (Nigerian army) to eliminate key members of the sect," the statement said.

The military did not say when the joint opearation was conducted.

In September 2012 soldiers shot dead Boko Haram spokesman Abul Qaqa at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kano after he was tracked down through his phone signal.

The leader of Boko Haram offshoot Ansaru was also killed in a raid on his hideout in Kano around the same time.

Gali's death brings to three the number of Boko Haram's media commanders to be killed in the group's nine-year armed campaign to establish a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

In a December 2016 recording Boko Haram factional leader Abubakar Shekau said he executed the group's spokesman Abu Zinnira over a plot to oust him as the leader.

In recent months, Boko Haram has carried out repeated attacks on military bases in Borno state, although the army has strongly denied reports of heavy troop casualties.

Nigerian authorities maintain the group, whose insurgency has left more than 27,000 dead since 2009, is on the verge of defeat despite an upsurge in attacks in recent months. </s> An attack this weekend by Boko Haram fighters on a funeral in the northeastern state of Borno in Nigeria has left 65 people dead, almost three times the initial toll, a local official said.

Dozens of more bodies were discovered on Sunday following the assault a day before by gunmen on a village close to the regional capital, Maiduguri.

"It is 65 people dead and 10 injured," said Muhammed Bulama, the local government chairman.

Bulama added that more than 20 people had died in the initial attack on a funeral gathering. Dozens more were killed as they tried to chase after the attackers.

The leader of a local anti-Boko Haram militia confirmed the death toll, giving a slightly different account of the attack.

Bunu Bukar Mustapha told AFP news agency that 23 people were killed as they returned from the funeral and "the remaining 42 were killed when they pursued the terrorists".

Bulama said he thought the latest attack was in retaliation for the killing two weeks ago of 11 Boko Haram fighters by local residents when the fighters approached their village. The residents also captured 10 automatic rifles.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday condemned the attack and directed the country's air force and army to begin air patrols and ground operations to hunt down the attackers, a statement released by the president's office said.

Boko Haram has waged a decade-long in northeast Nigeria that has killed around 27,000 people and displaced more than two million.

The group has splintered between the Boko Haram faction loyal to historic leader Abubakar Shekau and an affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.

Shekau's group tends to hit softer targets including civilians, while the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has since last year ratcheted up its campaign against the military. </s> An Army commander and six soldiers are missing after two bases of the Nigerian military in Borno State came under Boko Haram attack on Saturday, with one soldier feared dead.

There was also a loss of “unquantifiable” combat equipment in the wake of the terrorists’ offensive.

The terrorists attacked troops of 192 Battalion deployed to Delwa village, along Maiduguri-Damboa Road in Konduga Local Government Area, and their colleagues attached to 242 Battalion in Marte Local Government Area towards Lake Chad, according to Army sources.

The two attacks appeared coordinated, as they were unleashed about the same time—6p.m. on Saturday.

Saturday’s incidents followed an earlier attack on May 22, on an Army base in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Gubio attack was on the camp housing the Nigerian Army 5 Brigade and the 159 Task Force Battalion, and it left at least one soldier killed and three others injured.

We targeted secondary school girls for marathon sex —Suspected cultist/rapist(Opens in a new browser tab)

However, despite the attack suffered on May 22, the Army Chief, Tukur Buratai, insisted that Boko Haram had been defeated in a statement last Thursday, just two days before the latest attacks.

The terrorists, who attacked the 192 Battalion reportedly launched from Alagarno Forest in Damboa Local Government Area in four Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, and 12 gun trucks.

Although the troops were initially dislodged, reinforcement from Maiduguri, about 30 kilometres away, helped them retake the base after the terrorists had withdrawn.

Despite retaking the base, one yet-to-be-named soldier was killed, while six others, also not named yet, became missing.

The terrorists burnt a T55 armoured tank, made away with two gun trucks, a canter truck, one APC, mortal gun and unquantifiable ammunition.

“Re-organisation of the camp is currently ongoing,” said a military source with knowledge of the development. </s> Nigerian troops repelled an attack on a military base in northeastern Borno state in which a soldier was killed and four others were injured, military and militia sources told AFP Saturday.

On Wednesday jihadists from IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province killed three soldiers when they temporarily seized control of another base in the town of Kareto, 200 kilometres away.

In the latest attack on Friday, the jihadists in several trucks carrying anti-aircraft guns attacked a base in the Kekeno village near the garrison town of Monguno, the sources said.

The militants were pushed back after a prolonged fight that lasted almost three hours with aerial support and reinforcements from Monguno.

"The terrorists made desperate efforts to overrun the base but were pushed back after heavy fighting," a military officer in Maiduguri said.

"Unfortunately we lost one soldier in the encounter and four others sustained injuries," the officer, who asked not to be named, added.

There was no indication of Boko Haram casualties.

Details of the attack were slow to emerge as telecommunications infrastructure has been destroyed by fighting and there are strict controls on movement in rural Borno state.

"The insurgents could not enter the base despite their number and heavy weapons," said a civilian militia fighting the jihadists who gave a similar account.

"I learnt one soldier was killed and a few others were wounded," the militia said,

Residents of Kekeno fled to Monguno following the attack, Monguno resident Adamu Sheriff said.

"Boko Haram attacked Kekeno around 5:30 pm (1630GMT) and engaged soldiers for almost three hours before they were forced out", said Sheriff who arrived Maiduguri on Saturday.

It was the second attempt by Boko Haram to takeover the base in two months.

In September the jihadists made a failed attempt to seize the Kekeno base and were pushed back after hours-long battle.

In recent months, Boko Haram jihadists have carried out repeated attacks on military bases in the northern part of Borno, although the military has strongly denied reports of heavy troop casualties.

The authorities maintain the group, whose insurgency has left more than 27,000 dead since 2009, is on the verge of defeat, despite the ongoing violence. </s> Suspected Daesh-linked militants have killed more than two dozen soldiers and a number of civilians in an ambush in northeast Nigeria, in the second deadly attack on the army this week.

The militants, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist organization, killed at least 25 soldiers and an unspecified number of civilians in the ambush in Borno state on Saturday.

Sources said the militants opened fire as the soldiers were escorting a group of evacuees from a village in the state.

“They ambushed and surrounded the vehicles of both the soldiers and the civilians and opened fire on them,” one source told Reuters news agency.

“They exchanged fire for some minutes before the Boko Haram militants overpowered the soldiers.”

The soldiers were reportedly evacuating villages in the region to carry out operations against Boko Haram.

Earlier this week, Daesh terrorists stormed the town of Gajiganna, also in Borno state, killing about a dozen soldiers.

The group which calls itself the West Africa province (ISWAP) branch of Daesh has launched repeated attacks in Nigeria in recent months after sustaining heavy losses in its Iraq and Syria strongholds.

ISWAP and Boko Haram made an alliance in 2015 before separating in 2016. However, there are reports the two groups were making efforts to get back together.

Last month, Nigeria’s army chief warned that the two groups aimed to carve out a Takfiri enclave stretching from Nigeria’s northeast into the wider Lake Chad region.

Boko Haram militants have been fighting government forces for about a decade.

Since 2009, attacks by Boko Haram terrorists have left at least 27,000 dead and made over 2.6 million others homeless.

Boko Haram’s sphere of activities spreads to neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

These countries have created a joint military force to stop the terrorists’ from further spreading, but sustained efforts to eradicate the militants have failed and the military continues to suffer heavy losses. </s> Boko Haram terrorists have attacked Nigerian troops in Damasak town of Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.

A top military source who spoke to SaharaReporters said the attack was carried out on a military base at about 7 pm on Saturday.

The insurgents launched the attack on the Special Forces Base from the Southern part of Damasak while exchanging fire with troops for about an hour.

The online newspaper had on June 14 detailed plans of an impending attack Nigerian soldiers in Damasak, Mallam Fatori, Magumeri, Gubio and Fuchimiram areas of Borno State.

According to the report, the Boko Haram terrorists who are planning the attacks were taking refuge in Fuchimiram village, 6 kilometres West of Kareto Village where they carried out a deadly attack on June 12, 2019.

The army has yet to confirm the development.
Boko Haram fighters loyal to ISIS attacked a military base in the Nigerian town of Metele, killing at least 118 soldiers while at least 153 others were missing after the attack, the militants also seized tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, weapons, and ammunition (Reuters)