At least 20 Nigerian soldiers killed in attack on military base

ABUJA, Jan. 27 (YPA) – At least 20 Nigerian soldiers, including a commander, were killed after gunmen attacked a military base in northeastern Borno state.

Reuters quoted security sources and local residents on Sunday, Boko Haram and ISIS militants in West Africa have been carrying out attacks in Nigeria’s Borno state, targeting security forces and civilians alike, killing and displacing tens of thousands of people.

Some eyewitnesses and soldiers who survived the attack, the latest assault took place on Friday when ISIS militants on trucks mounted with guns and attacked the army’s 149th Battalion in the town of Malam-Fatori, the gateway to the border with Niger.

One of the surviving soldiers said the forces were surprised by the attack as “the militants showered the area with a hail of bullets,” adding, “We tried hard to repel the attack, but after more than three hours of exchanging fire, they managed to overpower us, which led to the killing of our commander, a lieutenant colonel.”

AA