Nigerian soldiers have killed at least 20 jihadists in the country’s northeastern Yobe state, the military said, following a raft of “coordinated attacks” on military bases in the region earlier this week.
Fighters from Boko Haram and the rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group have ramped up attacks on military and civilian targets as Nigeria continues to grapple with a 16-year insurgency.
A string of jihadist assaults on Monday killed at least 14 people, including 10 soldiers in Borno and Yobe states, according to local civilian and military sources.
Regional military spokesman Sani Uba said in a statement dated Wednesday and released Thursday that troops had foiled “coordinated attacks” launched by ISWAP on a military base in Goniri, Yobe state, late on Monday through the early hours of Tuesday.
“Over 20 terrorists were neutralized, including a senior terrorist commander identified as Abu Yusu, the Munzir of Dursula,” Uba said.
Uba said some troops were injured, without giving a toll.
A resident of the nearby village of Katarko told AFP earlier in the week that jihadists killed four troops and set fire to buildings and military vehicles in Goniri.
The insurgency in the region has killed more than 40,000 and displaced around two million, according to the United Nations.
Last week, seven soldiers and 11 civilians were killed when Boko Haram fighters raided a base and attacked the nearby town of Ngoshe in Gwoza district, near the border with Cameroon, shooting and abducting residents.
In February, the US began deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to the country’s soldiers in fighting the jihadist groups.
