MAIDUGURI — At least 14 people, including 10 soldiers, were killed on Monday after suspected jihadist fighters launched a series of coordinated attacks on military bases in Nigeria’s northeast, according to civilian and military sources.
A military spokesman confirmed that several bases were targeted but said all locations remain under the control of Nigerian forces.
The attacks were carried out by fighters from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State — the epicentre of Nigeria’s long-running insurgency — and neighbouring Yobe State.
According to a Nigerian security report seen by AFP, ISWAP militants launched an overnight assault on a military base in Kukawa town, located in the Lake Chad region of Borno State. The attack reportedly killed four troops, including a military commander.
Ali Kaka, a member of an anti-jihadist militia supporting the military, said the militants engaged soldiers in a gun battle that lasted about three hours, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers and a militia fighter.
In a separate incident, suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked Dalwa community in Borno’s Konduga district, killing two soldiers and four civilians, according to the local community leader, Shettima Isa Bukar.
Bukar said the attackers also set fire to more than 200 homes before withdrawing from the village.
Another attack was reported in neighbouring Yobe State, where suspected Boko Haram militants raided a military base in Goniri town. A resident of nearby Katarko, Manu Ibrahim, said four soldiers were killed while buildings and military vehicles were set ablaze during the assault.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sani Uba, a military spokesman in the northeast, confirmed that several soldiers died during the attacks.
“Some brave and gallant soldiers paid the ultimate price, including an outstanding officer in Kukawa,” Uba said, without giving the exact number of casualties.
Boko Haram and ISWAP have recently intensified attacks on military positions across the northeast as their 16-year insurgency continues. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million.
Last week, suspected Boko Haram fighters killed seven soldiers and 11 civilians during an attack on a military base and the nearby town of Ngoshe in Borno State’s Gwoza district, close to the Cameroon border.
In February, the United States began deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to Nigerian forces in the fight against jihadist groups.
The deployment followed claims in the United States alleging “genocide” against Nigerian Christians — allegations the Nigerian government and independent analysts have rejected, stating that victims of the violence include both Christians and Muslims.
