At least eight soldiers have been killed and several others are injured or missing in an ambush attributed to the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) group in northeastern Nigeria, two military sources said.
The jihadists fired rockets at a military convoy traveling between the town of Dikwa and Marte in Borno State, according to these sources.
“The terrorists attacked (the convoy) with several rocket launchers, killing eight soldiers. Several others are missing,” a military officer said.
Eight other soldiers and a member of a pro-government militia engaged in the anti-jihadist fight were injured, according to this source.
A second military source confirmed the toll of the attack.
The jihadists took with them two military vehicles and set three others on fire.
The attack was the second in less than two weeks by Iswap against the Nigerian armed forces, which are struggling to defeat an Islamist insurgency that has killed more than 40,000 people in 12 years.
Only ten days ago, at least 16 soldiers and two anti-jihadist militiamen were killed in an ambush, the deadliest attack since the beginning of the year. Iswap claimed responsibility and said it had killed 25 soldiers.
In another development, the Nigerian Army on Monday said troops eliminated scores of terrorists who attacked the Sokoto military base.
In a statement on Monday, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyer, Director, Defence Information, said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, in conjunction with other security agencies, successfully repelled an attack by suspected Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists and bandits on the Forward Operation Base (FOB) at Burkusuma in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.