A surge in jihadist attacks is putting pressure on Nigerian forces, with recent assaults targeting both troops and local defence groups.
IS-linked jihadists have killed five Nigerian troops in a raid on a base in northeastern Borno state, militia sources told AFP on Friday.
It was the latest in a string of attacks on military positions that have also claimed the lives of senior officers.
Militants overwhelm troops in midday raid
The sources told AFP that fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) riding motorcycles attacked a base in Mussa village in Askira Uba district, engaging troops in a gunfight.
News of the attack was slow to emerge due to poor telecommunications in the area.
“The terrorists came on 15 motorcycles, three on each, and attacked the base around noon,” Adamu Galadima, an anti-jihadist militia member assisting troops, said.
“They killed five soldiers in the attack before they were repelled,” Galadima said.
A security report prepared for the United Nations and seen by AFP said “four soldiers and a civilian” were killed in the assault.
After the attack on the base, the militants rode to nearby Leho village, where they engaged local vigilantes protecting the community against attacks before withdrawing, said Peter Malgwui, a second militia member.
Violence spreads to nearby communities
There were no reports of casualties in the Leho attack.
Communities in Askira Uba and neighbouring Chibok districts on the fringes of Sambisa forest have been regularly raided by ISWAP and rival Boko Haram fighters from their camps in the forest, a game reserve turned jihadist enclave.
The jihadist groups have in recent weeks intensified attacks on bases in Borno state, leading to severe military losses, including senior commanders.
On Wednesday, a brigadier general and a lieutenant colonel killed in recent jihadist attacks were buried alongside six other soldiers in a ceremony in Borno state capital Maiduguri attended by the Nigerian defence minister and military chiefs.
Long-running insurgency takes heavy toll
Nigeria is battling a 17-year-old jihadist insurgency that has ravaged many parts of the country’s northeast region.
More than 40 000 people have been killed and around two million displaced in the jihadist conflict in the northeast since 2009, according to the United Nations.
The violence has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the jihadist groups.
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