BORNO: Suspected Islamist militants have launched a coordinated assault on an army base and a military outpost in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, killing at least 16 people, according to security sources.
The attack, attributed to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), targeted the region, where the two groups have long operated, causing widespread death and displacement.
In the latest attack, Boko Haram insurgents and ISWAP fighters struck an army base in the Wajiroko area of Borno State around 9:00 PM GMT on Monday. The assailants set military equipment ablaze, the sources reported.
A soldier stationed at the Wajiroko brigade confirmed that at least four soldiers were killed and several others wounded, including the brigade commander.
Meanwhile, armed fighters in light tactical vehicles attacked an outpost in Wulgo, a village approximately 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from the Cameroonian border town of Fotokol. The assault led to the deaths of 12 soldiers and left a dozen others injured, according to Cameroon’s Defense Ministry.
The attack, which targeted soldiers part of a multinational task force combating the insurgency, occurred between midnight and 3:00 AM local time on Tuesday. A military source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the militants likely initiated their assault with drones before advancing with a ground attack. “They looted a significant stockpile of weapons,” the source added.
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Videos circulating on social media showed gruesome images of bloodied bodies, burned patrol vehicles, and damaged buildings. However, Reuters has not independently verified these videos.
A Nigerian army spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment, while Cameroon’s military spokesperson, Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo, confirmed the attack but stated that casualty numbers remain unclear.
Makinta Modu, a member of a local militia assisting the Nigerian army, described how militants overran an army “forward operation base” during the Wajiroko attack. “Around 10:30 PM, air force jets arrived as reinforcements and killed many of the ISWAP fighters who had captured the base,” Modu said. It remains unclear if the military has regained control of the base.
Despite years of military pressure and internal conflict, both Boko Haram and ISWAP have intensified their attacks on military and civilian targets in Borno this year. The insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast has persisted for over a decade, contributing to the ongoing security challenges, including kidnapping, banditry in the northwest, and separatist violence in the southeast.
