Ayet-to-be-confirmed number of soldiers have been killed by militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram in an attack on a military base in Borno State.
Military sources told SaharaReporters that the attack occurred on Wednesday night when the insurgents launched an assault on the Joint Task Force in Benesheikh, Kaga Local Government Area.
They reportedly fired at the military facility sporadically, causing numerous casualties, including Brigadier-General O. Braimah. Military sources said the attackers used explosives and heavy gunfire.
Apart from the dead bodies recovered, many other soldiers were seriously injured, while a yet-to-be-ascertained number of personnel are also still missing.
“He was killed last night along with the Imam of the Brigade, many officers and soldiers. The attack lasted several hours. The camp is Benishek along Damaturu Road; it’s very unfortunate,” a source told SaharaReporters.
Another source added, “This is Brig. Gen. O.O. Braimah, 29 Brig Commander in Benishek, who was killed alongside other senior staff officers yesterday.”
In the last few weeks, Boko Haram and its ISWAP faction have carried out a series of deadly and coordinated attacks on military and police facilities across Borno State, killing soldiers, police officers, and civilians, while forcing security forces into intense firefights.
In March, Boko Haram fighters attacked three military bases in Baga, Buratai, and Ajilari, near Maiduguri. Their objective was reportedly to destabilise forward operating positions and weaken troop morale.
Reinforcements from the Nigerian Army, Air Force, and Civilian Joint Task Force eventually repelled the attackers, but the raids demonstrated the insurgents’ ability to strike across multiple fronts.
Around the same period, insurgents linked to ISWAP targeted a Forward Base near Banki junction along the Bama–Gwaza Road, killing an Army Major and several soldiers. The attackers arrived in coordinated units, overwhelming the stationed troops before withdrawing after hours of heavy gunfire….See More
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