Four members of the Nigerian security forces were killed in an ambush by jihadists in northeastern Nigeria on Tuesday, anti-jihadist militias told the AFP news agency on Wednesday.
The jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) attacked a group of soldiers and anti-jihadist militiamen riding on motorcycles towards the town of Monguno, 140 km from Borno State’s capital Maiduguri said two militias.
“ISWAP terrorists ambushed the patrol team and opened fire on them in Lingir village, leading to a shootout. “There were so many that the team had to flee,” said Musa Kaka, leader of an anti-jihadist militia in Monguno.
“Two soldiers and two anti-jihadist militiamen were killed and several injured in the fighting,” he added.
Nigeria’s 14-year-old jihadist insurgency is one of the biggest security challenges for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who came to power last May promising in particular to end such violence in the northeast.
Although the intensity of jihadist attacks has gradually decreased in recent years, ISWAP, which split from Boko Haram in 2016, remains active in the Lake Chad region, where it regularly confronts its former group.
ISWAP regularly carries out attacks in rural areas on the Maiduguri-Monguno highway, killing and kidnapping motorists, as well as regular deadly raids against soldiers and anti-jihadist militias in Monguno.
According to Musa Kaka, in recent days their fighters have ordered residents of villages along the highway connecting the towns of Gubio, Damasak, Layi, Jamu and Kinsari to leave their homes.
The jihadist insurgency in Nigeria has left 40,000 dead and more than two million displaced.