Terrorists linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province have killed six soldiers in a raid on the Forward Operating Base located in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, two military officers told AFP on Monday.

The military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak on the incident, said the ISWAP fighters launched a pre-dawn attack in trucks and on motorcycles on Sunday, December 5, 2024.

They set fire to the base along with army vehicles.

?We lost six soldiers in the ISWAP terrorists attack on the base after an intense gun battle,? one of the officers said.

The soldiers were forced to withdraw, the officer added.

Fighter jets deployed from the state capital Maiduguri, 100 kilometres (62 miles) away, struck the attackers as they retreated, said the second military officer, who gave the same toll.

?Air strikes against the fleeing terrorists resulted in multiple militant fatalities, the destruction of operational vehicles and their weaponry,? the officer said, without giving a toll of ISWAP casualties.

Our correspondent gathered on Monday that facilities including the school where the soldiers were using as a tent were also burnt by the insurgents.

An eyewitness In the area, Umar Wakil described the attack as ?coordinated,? while noting that they met the military men unprepared.

?The guys came with sophisticated weapons. They met the military men unprepared and delivered a coordinated attack.

?A friend of mine died in the process. I cannot tell how many died but I can tell you that they were all recruits. They are people I do relate with.

?The whole thing looks like revenge because, despite all the routes they passed, no civilian was armed. But I?m aware that a leader of the Civilian Joint Task Force was injured during the attack,? Wakil claimed.

A member of the CJTF, operating in the area but pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, told our correspondent that the attack commenced and ended before dawn.

?They came around past 5 pm. Everyone in the area ran for cover upon hearing the noise emanating from the base. There were also gunshots.

?When it was dawn, we met the fire that they put on the school where they (the soldiers) reside and the military vehicles.

?I know there were deaths but I can?t tell how many people died. But no civilian was harmed,? he noted.

Meanwhile, efforts by our correspondent to confirm the number of deaths and other information from the Spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, Lt-Col. A.Y Jingina, proved abortive as he neither picked nor returned his calls as of the time of filing this report.

When contacted via a text message, the spokesperson for the state police command, Nahum Daso said he was unaware of the incident.

The message read, ?I didn?t receive any report on that.?

Since 2009, northern Nigeria has been plagued by various terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and the rival ISWAP faction, as well as armed criminal groups.

The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast.

In November 2024, PUNCH Online reported that no fewer than 200 communities in Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe, and Kaduna states, among others in the North-West and North-East regions. (AFP/The PUNCH)

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