By Ahmed Kingimi
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, March 9 (Reuters) – Islamist militants killed at least 12 soldiers and three civilians in coordinated overnight attacks in northeast Nigeria, military sources and residents said on Monday, as attacks on armed forces intensify.
A 17-year Islamist insurgency in the region has killed thousands of people and displaced 2 million, according to aid groups, despite major military campaigns.
The assaults in Kukawa, Dalwa and Goniri came days after a similar attack on an army post in Ngoshe and showed the militant groups’ ability to hit multiple fronts at once.
Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters swept into Kukawa district in Borno state before dawn on Monday, pushing towards the nearby military camp in a three-hour battle, soldiers involved told Reuters.
Troops later retook the camp but not before the commanding officer and five other soldiers were killed, a military source said. Karta Maina Ma’aji Lawan, the lawmaker representing Kukawa, confirmed the attack and the officer’s death.
In Dalwa, militants killed two soldiers and three residents before torching more than 250 homes, said resident and traditional leader Shetima Isa.
In neighbouring Yobe state, insurgents overran the Goniri military base, killing four soldiers and setting vehicles and buildings ablaze, another soldier said.
Military spokesperson Sani Uba said troops had repelled several coordinated attacks on military positions in the northeast, and that all locations remained firmly under control.
“Regrettably, the engagements claimed the lives of some brave and gallant soldiers, including an outstanding officer in Kukawa, who paid the ultimate price,” Uba said, without providing further casualty details.
Ground forces, backed by air support, were conducting follow-up operations in the affected areas, while cordon-and-search missions continued in nearby villages where wounded militants were reported to be hiding, he said.
Nigeria’s military has ramped up raids on insurgent hideouts this year as part of a renewed offensive, but ISWAP and Boko Haram continue to exploit the tough terrain, porous borders and a thin state presence across the northeast’s arid belt.
The latest attacks came just hours after military intelligence had warned of a likely ISWAP offensive.
(Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi; Writitng by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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