Assailants from a terrorist organisation linked to the Islamic State killed five soldiers in Nigeria and injured ten others during an assault on a military installation near the Niger border, two officers reported on Monday.
Militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) raided the base located in Kareto village, Borno state, early Saturday morning, leading to a firefight, as disclosed by military officers to AFP.
Since 2009, northern Nigeria has suffered from a violent Islamist insurgency, and security collaboration along the border has deteriorated following the military coup in Niger in July 2023.
“We lost five soldiers during the confrontation, and there are 10 others wounded,” a senior military officer, who requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said.
“Four of our personnel remain unaccounted for, and search and rescue operations are currently underway to find them,” he added.
According to another source, the attackers seized four trucks outfitted with anti-aircraft weapons and set fire to five additional vehicles, including a mine-resistant military truck.
In a statement released on Sunday, ISWAP claimed that they had “killed and wounded” over 20 soldiers in a suicide vehicle bombing during the assault, based on information from SITE Intelligence, which tracks online terrorists’ activities. The group also claimed responsibility for setting the base ablaze and damaging 14 vehicles.
Kareto is situated 153 kilometres north of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, and is home to the Nigerian army’s 149 Battalion, which is tasked with combating ISWAP and its rival Boko Haram. This military installation has faced repeated attacks from both factions.
For the past 15 years, terrorist organisations have been engaged in an uprising aimed at establishing an Islamic Caliphate, resulting in the deaths of over 40,000 individuals and displacing approximately two million more.
