Gunmen suspected of belonging to militant Islamic groups launched a surprise attack at dawn yesterday, Monday, on a Nigerian army base in the northeastern state of Borno, killing a number of soldiers and the disappearance of others, in addition to the attackers’ seizure of weapons and ammunition.
According to Reuters news agency, by security sources, the attack targeted the “153 Battalion for Special Force” in the Marti area, where the gunmen surrounded the site using motorcycles and military vehicles equipped with heavy weapons.
One of the soldiers who survived the attack reported that the Nigerian forces had to withdraw towards a largest base of “24th Brigade of Special Force” in the neighboring Decoa area, where they reassemble their ranks and launched a counter -attack that enabled them to regain control of the targeted base.
“A number of soldiers were killed during the attack, while others were captured during the withdrawal.”
The Nigerian Ministry of Defense has not issued any official statement regarding the accident so far.
For his part, one of the elements of the “Civilian Joint Task Force” – a local militia supporting the army in the face of armed groups – stated that the attackers seized quantities of ammunition and set fire to military vehicles.
He pointed out that the searches for missing soldiers are still ongoing.
This attack comes in the context of the escalation of violence in northeastern Nigeria this year, amid fears of a strong return of extremist groups such as “Boko Haram” and “Islamic State” of the Islamic State, which has become dependent on advanced technologies that include drones and explosive devices cultivated on roads.