-
Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters launch coordinated attack on Army base in Jakana, Borno State
-
Several Nigerian soldiers feared killed, others injured or missing after assault
-
Armoured vehicles destroyed and weapons looted during early morning raid
Several Nigerian soldiers are feared dead following an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on a military base in Jakana, Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State.
Military sources confirmed that fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed Jakana town in the early hours of Friday, shooting sporadically before launching a full-scale assault on the Army outpost along the Maiduguri–Damaturu Road.
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
According to the sources, the insurgents arrived in multiple groups, overwhelming the base with gunfire and explosives.
READ ALSO: Boko Haram Attack Leaves Soldiers Dead as ISWAP Overruns Army Base in Borno
A number of soldiers were reportedly killed during the encounter, while others sustained injuries or fled into surrounding bushes.
“A Boko Haram attack occurred this morning, February 6, at an Army outpost in Jakana. Many casualties were recorded on our side, and the corpses of fallen soldiers have been evacuated to the 7 Division Military Hospital in Maiduguri,” a senior military source said.
The attackers were also said to have set fire to armoured tanks and several military vehicles before carting away large quantities of ammunition.
The latest assault comes barely days after a similar attack on a military base in Sabon Gari, Damboa Local Government Area, where several soldiers were reportedly killed.
It was also gathered that earlier in January, seven military personnel, including a newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel, were killed in an ambush while travelling from Maiduguri to Damasak in Mobbar Local Government Area of the state.
Security sources said the terrorists deployed improvised explosive devices and heavy gunfire during the ambush, leaving many soldiers dead, others seriously injured, while some personnel remain missing.
Since the death of former Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has continued to consolidate its presence around the Lake Chad region, bolstered by the defection of fighters from Shekau’s faction.
Despite repeated assurances by the Nigerian Army that insurgency has been largely degraded, attacks on military formations in the North-East have persisted.
The Boko Haram insurgency has claimed over 100,000 lives and displaced millions of people across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
