Suspected members of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have captured 13 soldiers, killing seven of them, including a commanding officer, in an ambush near Damasak in the Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.
The commanding officer, according to Sahara Reporters, was recently promoted from the rank of major to lieutenant colonel.
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Philip Brant, a conflict researcher with expertise in insurgency in the Sahel, posted on X that the attack occurred on Monday.
Last November, PREMIUM TIMES reported how Musa Uba, a brigadier general and the commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, was captured and executed alongside four members of his team when they were ambushed around Damboa axis in Borno.
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Mr Brant noted that the attack was “reminiscent of the capture and execution” of Mr Uba.
The recent attack
The recent attack, according to news reports, occurred along the Maiduguri-Damasak road.
The terrorists reportedly deployed explosives amid a heavy gunfight with soldiers.
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In addition to the fatalities, several soldiers were injured and an unknown number remain missing.
After the attack, the bodies of the slain soldiers were recovered and taken to 7 Division Hospital.
The Army has not issued an official statement about the incident. An enquiry sent to its spokesperson, Appolonia Anele, had not been responded to.
Boko Haram and its splinter group, ISWAP, have engaged in a long insurgency campaign in the North-east and other parts of the Lake Chad region.
READ ALSO: EDITORIAL: ISWAP drone attack: The necessity of being proactive
The war has resulted in the deaths of many security personnel and civilians. It has also forcibly displaced locals from their homes.
The war has lingered for more than a decade. However, normalcy has returned to some parts of the region affected by the violence, enabling the government to resettle displaced communities.
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