Nigeria’s military said on Tuesday it killed 19 armed bandits during a raid in Kano state, a rare flare-up of violence in the country’s northwestern commercial hub. Two soldiers and a member of a local vigilante force also died, army spokesman Babatunde Zubairu said.
Troops, working with other security agencies, stormed a suspected hideout in Shanono, prompting a firefight, the statement added. The operation forms part of wider efforts to stem kidnappings and killings by criminal gangs across northern Nigeria.
In a separate incident before dawn, Nigerian and Nigerien forces beat back an attack by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on Forward Operating Base Kangar in Borno state, the army’s regional counter-insurgency task force said. At least six insurgents were killed in the initial clash, and subsequent airstrikes hit fleeing fighters, it added.
Several soldiers and members of the civilian Joint Task Force sustained minor injuries and were evacuated for treatment, according to the statement.