Abuja: Fighters affiliated with the Daesh group have killed at least 11 soldiers in an attack on a military base in Yobe State, northeast Nigeria, military sources reported. With several soldiers still missing, an officer cautioned that the death toll could rise further.
According to Nam News Network, fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a raid on a base in the town of Buni Gari late on Friday. The assault resulted in the deaths of 11 soldiers, as confirmed by two military sources. After the attack, the assailants seized weapons and set the base ablaze, destroying several military vehicles and buildings. Due to the sensitivity of the incident, both officers requested anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Footage from the scene displayed the charred remains of an armored military vehicle and burning military trucks. A decapitated body of a soldier was found on the ground, with the severed head nearby. The Buni Gari base, located 60 kilometers
from Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, has been a repeated target for jihadists. This attack marks the eighth assault on a military base by jihadists in the past two months.
The ongoing insurgency, now in its 16th year, has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced around two million people in northeast Nigeria. Since 2019, the military has closed smaller army bases, consolidating forces into larger, fortified garrisons known as super camps to better withstand attacks. However, critics argue that this strategy has enabled militants to move more freely in rural areas, increasing the risk of attacks and kidnappings for travelers.
In a related incident on Monday, 26 people were killed when their vehicle detonated a landmine outside the town of Rann, near the Cameroon border. ISWAP later claimed responsibility for the blast. Both ISWAP and rival group Boko Haram have intensified attacks on civilian and military targets in the region, resulting in over 100 civilian deaths in April alone.
During a visit to the
northern city of Katsina on Friday, Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, pledged to enhance the military’s capabilities to address the persistent threats of terrorism, banditry, and insurgency confronting the nation.