A deadly clash in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state resulted in the deaths of at least six soldiers and 34 extremist rebels, according to the military.
The rebels, riding motorcycles and gun trucks, launched a surprise attack on Nigerian troops. In response, the soldiers engaged in a fierce gun battle, resisting the assault, military spokesperson Edward Buba confirmed.
Borno state has long been the epicenter of extremist violence in Nigeria. The Boko Haram group began its insurgency there in 2009, aiming to impose their radical interpretation of Sharia law. The violence has since spread, claiming more than 35,000 lives and displacing over 2.6 million people.
The latest attack took place on Sunday in Sabon Gari village, located in the Damboa council area, a region largely abandoned by residents due to persistent violence. Buba added that the extremists were retaliating for the recent death of their commander and fighters by Nigerian troops.
This assault marks a significant blow for the Nigerian military, which has previously claimed that the insurgents had been “degraded.” Despite such statements, deadly ambushes and suicide bombings persist, especially in the past year.
Senator Iroegbu, a security analyst based in Abuja, highlighted the challenges in ending the insurgency. He pointed to the lack of political will and the difficulty of controlling extremist movements across Nigeria’s porous borders.
Boko Haram gained global infamy in 2014 for kidnapping 276 schoolgirls from Chibok village in Borno. Many of the girls remain missing.
