At least nine Nigerian soldiers have been confirmed dead, while more than a dozen others, including a senior officer, are still missing following a deadly ambush by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in Borno State.
Military and militia sources said the attack occurred during a foot patrol operation near Damask, close to Nigeria’s border with Niger.
According to the sources, ISWAP terrorists launched the assault using explosives and heavy gunfire on a column of over 30 troops.
“We lost nine soldiers in an ambush by ISWAP terrorists, and many others are still missing,” a military officer told journalists on condition of anonymity.
The officer explained that the soldiers were about 25 kilometres from their base when they came under sustained fire, forcing them to scatter in different directions.
“The terrorists detonated an explosive device they had planted on the road in advance, increasing the casualties and confusion among the soldiers,” he said.
He added that only eight soldiers have so far made it back to base, while several others, including their commanding officer with the rank of major, remain unaccounted for.
“A man who identified himself as an ISWAP terrorist keeps answering calls to the commander’s mobile phone, suggesting he is in the hands of the terrorists,” the officer disclosed.
Confirming the incident, Ya-Mulam Kadai, spokesman for the government-backed anti-jihadist militia supporting troops in Damask, also put the death toll at nine.
Kadai said the bodies of the slain soldiers were later recovered by a military search team deployed to the area after the attack.
“The nine bodies of the fallen soldiers were retrieved by our joint search team at the scene,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian military authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The latest attack underscores ongoing security challenges in Nigeria’s northeast, where ISWAP and Boko Haram factions continue to target military formations and civilian communities despite intensified counter-insurgency efforts.
