At least six soldiers were killed in an attack by terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on a military base in Borno State. The attack took place on Sunday, December 5, 2024, at a Forward Operating Base in the Damboa Local Government Area, according to military sources who spoke anonymously.
The terrorists, who arrived in trucks and on motorcycles, launched a pre-dawn assault, setting fire to the base and military vehicles. An intense gun battle ensued, forcing the soldiers to withdraw.
- Fighter jets from Maiduguri were deployed to target the attackers as they retreated, resulting in multiple militant fatalities and the destruction of vehicles and weapons. However, the exact number of ISWAP casualties remains unconfirmed.
Local eyewitnesses described the attack as well-coordinated, with one civilian identifying the attackers as being heavily armed and catching the soldiers unprepared. The insurgents also set fire to a school being used as a temporary shelter by the military personnel, as well as military vehicles.
The ongoing conflict in northern Nigeria, exacerbated by groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, has resulted in over 40,000 deaths and displaced nearly two million people across the northeastern region since 2009.
