Nigerian military says 50 terrorists killed in army base raids

Nigeria's military said on Thursday it had killed 50 terrorists using drones to carry out multiple attacks on army bases in the volatile northeast.

The authorities in Africa's most populous country and one of its powerhouses, have been fighting the Boko Haram terrorist group for 16 years.

In the early hours of Thursday, troops aided by fighter jets engaged terrorists who had launched coordinated attacks on bases in the towns of Dikwa, Mafa and Gajibo in Borno state as well as in Katarko in neighbouring Yobe state, a military spokesperson said in a statement.

"The combined ground and air efforts resulted in the neutralisation of over 50 terrorists across all the locations," Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, said in the statement.

At least 70 terrorists wounded

Ground and aerial pursuits were still ongoing to track down "over 70 of the wounded" terrorists, Uba said.

Soldiers seized dozens of kalashnikovs, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) from the militants, he said.

In a post on X, the army shared pictures showing soldiers standing over a row of several dead bodies said to be of jihadist fighters and their weapons at one of the targeted military bases.

Uba said several soldiers were wounded in the fighting, without giving numbers.

Vehicles burnt

"Some vehicles and buildings were also gutted by fire from the terrorists' armed drones and RPG fire during the battle, especially in Mafa and Dikwa, where a part of the defences were momentarily breached," he said.

Armed insurgents are increasingly using drones, often commercial models modified to drop bombs or grenades.

A resident in Mafa showed AFP videos and pictures from the area showing the charred shells of several trucks and said the terrorists had set them ablaze during the attack.

Mafa locals said the trucks were mostly laden with cement heading to Chad whose drivers had parked for the night for fear of terrorist attacks on the highway.

'Super camps'

The conflict has killed more than 40,000 and displaced around two million people in northeastern Nigeria.

It has spilt over into neighbouring countries, prompting the creation of a regional military coalition to combat the terrorist groups.

Earlier this month, at least 14 soldiers were killed in two attacks in Borno state blamed on terrorists – one at an army base, the other when a military convoy was ambushed.

Since 2019, soldiers have shut down some smaller army bases and moved into larger, fortified garrisons known as "super camps" in an attempt to better resist terrorist attacks.