Soldiers, terrorists killed in midnight terror attack on Borno military base

About 20 security officers and an unspecified number of terrorists were killed during a Tuesday midnight terror attack on a military base in Borno State.

Security sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the attack, by jihadists either belonging to Boko Haram or the rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), targeted the military base in Mairari, Guzamala Local Government Area (LGA).

Corroborating one another, the sources said 15 soldiers and five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) were killed in the encounter.

The LG chairperson, Umar Sheriff, confirmed the attack to Punch, saying military operatives repelled it. Locals also told the newspaper that many terrorists were killed.

However, the military has not released any official statement about the attack. The spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, a joint task force in the North-east, Mohammed Goni, has not responded to a PREMIUM TIMES enquiry into the incident.

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Last month, an ISWAP attack on a military position in Mairari was repelled by military forces with aerial support. Four ISWAP terrorists were killed in the attack, and a cache of weapons including a camera was recovered.

Boko Haram insurgency has lingered for more than a decade, with experts warning that the war is not close to its end as a new generation of fighters now dominates the battlefield amid challenges posed by the increasing use of new technologies.