11 soldiers, 5 civilians killed in jihadist attacks in Nigeria

By AFP

No fewer than 16 persons, including 11 soldiers, have been killed in jihadist attacks in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, military and militia sources said Saturday. Rival factions of Boko Haram launched the attacks on military and civilian targets between Thursday and Saturday, they said.

On Thursday, fighters from the IS-aligned Islamic State West Africa Province ambushed a military convoy near Mauro village in Benisheikh district, a military source disclosed.

“Our men on patrol fell into a terrorist ambush. which claimed 11 soldiers and wounded 16 others. Two other soldiers are still missing,” said the officer, who asked not to be identified.

He said the troops were travelling in three vehicles.”The terrorists made away with 11 AK-47 rifles and anti-aircraft gun mounted on the gun truck,” he said.

In another attack the same day, Boko Haram gunmen opened fire on a vehicle at Frigi village, killing one person and injuring another, militia sources said.
Jihadist fighters also killed two militiamen in Gubio, 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri.

On Saturday, Boko Haram militants stormed a camp for those displaced by the conflict in the town of Banki near the border with Cameroon, killing two residents and injuring three vigilantes guarding the area, two militia sources said.

The decade-long Boko Haram campaign has killed 35,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in northeast Nigeria.

The violence has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the insurgents.