Islamist militants killed at least 14 Nigerian soldiers in coordinated attacks on two army bases in northeastern Borno state, security sources said, underscoring the continued strength of insurgent groups despite ongoing military offensives.
The assaults took place late Tuesday night in Gwoza district, where fighters believed to belong to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) targeted a Nigerian Army base in the town of Ngoshe. According to three military sources, at least nine soldiers and a local imam were killed during the attack.
The militants reportedly overran the base, forcing troops to withdraw before seizing weapons and ammunition. The attackers also abducted an unknown number of women during the raid, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.
In a separate but nearly simultaneous assault, insurgents attacked another army position in Pulka, also in Gwoza district. Two sources familiar with the incident said five soldiers, including a commanding officer, were killed in that attack.
Several wounded troops were evacuated to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, for treatment.
The Nigerian military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The attacks appear to form part of a broader strategy by insurgent groups to launch coordinated strikes on military positions, stretching government forces and slowing the deployment of reinforcements.
Nigeria’s armed forces have stepped up operations this year in an effort to dismantle militant strongholds across the northeast. However, despite repeated offensives, ISWAP and Boko Haram continue to carry out large-scale attacks, taking advantage of difficult terrain, porous borders and limited state control in remote areas.
Borno state remains the centre of Nigeria’s 17-year Islamist insurgency, a conflict that has killed thousands and displaced more than two million people, according to humanitarian organisations.