Jihadists attack Nigerian army base, killing 7 troops: sources

Jihadists linked to the Islamic State attacked an army base in Nigeria's restive north with grenades and drones killing seven soldiers, and littered a key highway with explosives, military sources told AFP Saturday.

Early on Friday, fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) rained rocket-propelled grenades and explosive-laden drones on the base in Ngamdu village, 100 kilometres (62 miles) from  Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.

"We lost seven soldiers in the well-coordinated attack by ISWAP terrorists," a military officer said.

Four military vehicles were destroyed, said a second military source who gave the same toll. Both officers requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak about the raid.

A Friday military memo seen by AFP said six soldiers were killed and six others injured in the attack.

Casualties sustained by the jihadists were "unconfirmed, though blood stains on the ground were seen," according to the memo.

The Nigerian army gave a lower toll of four troops killed and said the attackers were repelled by  troops and  "reinforcement elements" from a nearby base.

The Nigerian army plays down casualties in its fight against jihadists who have been waging a 16-year insurrection to establish a caliphate in the northeast.

The attack prompted "a temporary closure" of the 120-kilometre highway linking Maiduguri and Damaturu, the capital of neighbouring Yobe state, for the military to defuse explosives planted by the militants, the army said.

Since 2019, soldiers have shut down some smaller army bases and moved into larger, fortified garrisons known as "super camps" in an attempt to better resist militant attacks.

But critics say the "super camp" strategy has also allowed militants more liberty to move around in rural areas and left travellers more vulnerable to kidnapping.

There has been a recent uptick in attacks by ISWAP and the rival Boko Haram group after a lull.

The unrest has displaced around two million in the northeast and spilled into neighbouring countries, prompting a regional military coalition fighting the Islamist groups to end violence.