Eight Nigerian soldiers have been killed after their patrol vehicle struck a landmine allegedly planted by Islamic State-aligned jihadists near the border with Cameroon, according to defence sources.
The attack occurred in Borno State on Saturday, the same day the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, visited the state capital, Maiduguri, following an earlier attack on a military base that left 15 soldiers and five anti-jihadist militia members dead.
According to the sources, the latest incident happened while troops were inspecting anti-jihadist militia members clearing thickets along a highway outside Gamboru. Their vehicle reportedly ran over the explosive and detonated, killing all eight soldiers on board.
The sources blamed the attack on Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a jihadist group active in the area.
A military officer in the region said the explosion occurred in Kinuba village, about 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) from Gamboru.
“All eight soldiers in the vehicle were killed in the explosion,” the officer said.
Ibrahim Liman, an anti-jihadist militia member supporting the military, confirmed the death toll and explained how the explosive was detonated.
“The explosive was planted on the dusty road and remotely detonated by a detonating cord,” Liman said.
Liman added that a militia member supervising the clearing of the thickets was injured by shrapnel.
Jihadist groups have reportedly been using thickets along highways as cover to ambush military personnel and motorists. ISWAP and its rival group, Boko Haram, have also increasingly relied on roadside mines to target both military and civilian vehicles.
Nigeria’s jihadist conflict began in 2009. Although the violence declined from its peak about a decade ago, attacks have increased over the past two years.
The prolonged insurgency has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around two million from their homes in northeastern Nigeria.
The violence has also spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to combat the militants.
Source: AFP
