At least 14 Nigerian soldiers have been killed after militants linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched coordinated attacks on two military bases in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State, according to security sources.
The attacks occurred late Tuesday night in the Gwoza District. Fighters believed to be members of ISWAP first stormed a Nigerian Army base in the town of Ngoshe.
Three military sources said at least nine soldiers and a local imam were killed during the assault. The militants reportedly overran the base, forcing troops to retreat before seizing weapons and ammunition.
The attackers also abducted an unspecified number of women during the raid, the sources said, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
In a separate but nearly simultaneous attack, insurgents targeted another military position in Pulka, also located in Gwoza district. Two sources familiar with the incident confirmed that five soldiers, including a commanding officer, were killed.
Several injured soldiers were later evacuated to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, for medical treatment.
The Nigerian Army has not yet issued an official statement regarding the attacks.
Security analysts say the incidents appear to be part of a broader insurgent strategy to launch coordinated assaults on military positions, stretching government forces and slowing the arrival of reinforcements.
Nigeria’s military has intensified operations this year to dismantle militant strongholds in the northeast. However, insurgent groups such as ISWAP and Boko Haram continue to stage large-scale attacks, taking advantage of difficult terrain, porous borders and limited state presence in remote communities.
Borno State remains the epicentre of Nigeria’s 17-year Islamist insurgency, a conflict that has killed thousands and displaced more than two million people, according to humanitarian organisations.
