A military base located along the Mandara–Buratai Road in Borno State, came under heavy attack in the wee hours of Friday by suspected members of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The vicious attack, Diaspora Digital Media gathered, resulted in the death of eight Nigerian soldiers and several others wounded.
A military source at the base confirmed the incident, adding that the insurgents struck around 4am.
“162 Battalion Mandara Buratai Road, eight soldiers were killed in action. They attacked us at 4 a.m. today (Friday) when it was raining,” the source said.
Another military source said the insurgents breached parts of the military installation and launched a deadly attack on personnel.
Sources familiar with the incident said the terrorists arrived in large numbers and exploited the poor weather conditions to surprise troops at the location.
Security sources disclosed that reinforcement teams had been dispatched to the area in response to the attack.
Efforts were also said to be underway to determine the full scale of the casualties and secure the affected military position.
Meanwhile, the attack is the latest in a series of renewed offensives by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters against military formations across Nigeria’s North-East region, despite ongoing counterinsurgency operations by security forces.
Military authorities are yet to issue an official statement in respect to the development.
