Militant insurgents kill at least 11 soldiers in Nigeria: military

Militant insurgents have killed at least 11 soldiers in an attack on their base in Yobe state, northeast Nigeria, military sources told AFP on Saturday.

And with many soldiers still missing, one officer warned that the death toll could rise.

Fighters from ISWAP raided a base in the town of Buni Gari late on Friday, killing 11 soldiers, two military sources said.

They burned down the base after a fierce gun battle, they added.

Heavily armed

"The terrorists on several trucks armed with heavy guns and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) attacked the base and burned it down after killing 11 soldiers," one military officer said.

"The death toll may rise because many soldiers are missing and their whereabouts still unknown," the military officer said.

The attackers seized weapons before setting the base on fire, burning several military vehicles and buildings, a second military source, who gave the same toll, said.

Both officers asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the media about the incident.

Deadly insurgency

Videos of the aftermath of the raid viewed by an AFP reporter show the charred remains of an armoured military vehicle and some burning military trucks.

The decapitated body of one soldier lay on the dusty ground with its severed head by the side.

The base in Buni Gari, 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Damaturu, Yobe state capital, has been repeatedly attacked by insurgents.

Their 16-year insurgency has claimed more than 40,000 lives and forced around two million people in the northeast to flee their homes.

Increased attacks

The Buni Gari base was the eighth base to be attacked by insurgents in the last two months, according an AFP tally.

Since 2019, soldiers fighting the insurgents have shut down some smaller army bases and moved into larger, fortified garrisons known as "super camps" to better resist attacks.

But critics say this strategy has allowed militants more freedom to move around in rural areas and left travellers more vulnerable to attacks and kidnapping.

On Monday, 26 people were killed when their vehicle exploded after hitting a landmine outside the town of Rann near the border with Cameroon.

More than 100 killed in April

ISWAP claimed responsibility for the blast.

ISWAP and rival Boko Haram have in recent times ramped up attacks on civilian and military targets in the northeast.

More than 100 civilians have died in attacks by the militants in April.

During a visit to the northern city of Katsina on Friday Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu promised to better equip troops to combat "threats of terrorism, banditry and insurgency (which) have persisted for too long".