At least eight Nigerian soldiers have been killed after a military patrol vehicle reportedly struck a landmine allegedly planted by Islamic State West Africa Province fighters in Borno State.
The incident occurred on Saturday at Kinuba village, about 25 kilometres from Gamboru, close to Nigeria’s border with Cameroon.
The soldiers were said to have been monitoring members of an anti-jihadist militia who were clearing thick vegetation along a highway outside Gamboru when the vehicle ran over the explosive device.
A military officer in the area told AFP that all eight soldiers travelling in the vehicle were killed in the blast.
Ibrahim Liman, a member of the militia working alongside the military, also confirmed the reported death toll.
According to Liman, the explosive had been placed along a dusty road and was detonated remotely with a detonating cord.
He added that a militia member who was supervising the vegetation-clearing operation suffered shrapnel injuries in the explosion.
The latest attack occurred on the same day the Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, visited Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Shaibu’s visit followed an earlier assault on a military base in the state in which 15 soldiers and five members of the anti-jihadist militia were reportedly killed.
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ISWAP, an affiliate of the Islamic State militant group, remains active in the region. Fighters frequently exploit thick vegetation along roads as cover for attacks on military personnel and motorists.
The latest incident comes amid a series of attacks targeting security forces in different parts of the country.
On October 8, the Nigerian Army said soldiers were killed after terrorists launched a “coordinated multi-directional assault” in Kukawa, Borno State.
Earlier in August, a soldier was killed while troops were responding to terrorist attacks targeting a military barracks and two communities in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State.