Six Nigerian soldiers have been killed in a pre-dawn raid by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on a military base in Sabon Gari, Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.
Two military sources told AFP that the insurgents, arriving in trucks and on motorcycles, stormed the base on Sunday, setting it ablaze and destroying army vehicles.
“We lost six soldiers in the ISWAP terrorists’ attack on the base after an intense gun battle,” one of the sources said.
In a swift response, fighter jets were deployed from Maiduguri, about 100 kilometres away, to intercept the retreating insurgents. According to the source, the airstrikes inflicted multiple fatalities on the attackers and destroyed their operational vehicles and weapons.
“Air strikes against the fleeing terrorists resulted in multiple militant fatalities, the destruction of their vehicles, and their weaponry,” another military officer said.
Defence Headquarters spokesperson, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, confirmed the attack in a statement on Monday.
“It is confirmed that troops suffered setbacks in operations in the area. An inquiry has been set up to confirm the details of what transpired, after which I will provide the details in due course,” he said.
Since 2009, Nigeria’s northeastern region has faced persistent attacks from jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and ISWAP. The conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced around two million people.
In a similar incident in November 2024, ISWAP fighters attacked a military base in Kareto village, near the Niger border, killing five soldiers and injuring 10 others.
