Africa-Press. Agence France-Presse, citing local sources in Nigeria, reported that dozens of people, including soldiers, were killed in an attack carried out by “Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters” in northeastern Nigeria yesterday, Thursday.
According to the sources, the attack took place at night in Sabon Gari in the remote state of Borno, which has seen escalating violence since 2009 from Boko Haram elements and ISWAP.
Ibrahim Liman, a member of the “Civilian Joint Task Force” that supports the Nigerian army, said: “The death toll is in the dozens. Many bodies are still in the base, while many soldiers are still missing.”
He noted that the bodies of five soldiers and 15 construction workers and local fishermen were taken to the general hospital in the nearby town of Biu.
A local fishermen’s official in Yamarkoumi near Biu, as well as two nurses at Biu hospital, confirmed the arrival of bodies and wounded from Sabon Gari.
The victims had been working on a road bridge that was destroyed last year in a previous attack, and they were on their way back to their base when they came under attack.
Last Tuesday, military sources reported that at least nine soldiers were killed in an ambush set by ISWAP militants near the border with Niger.
ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016 and primarily targets security forces in Nigeria, although civilians also fall victim to its operations.
For years, the Nigerian army has been fighting armed groups, most notably Boko Haram and ISWAP. The attacks have killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
