A commanding officer of the Nigerian Army has been killed following a deadly attack by suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province on a military formation in Kukawa, Borno State.
Sources familiar with the incident said the insurgents stormed the military base, triggering a fierce gun battle between the troops and the attackers.
Security sources quoted by a counter-insurgency publication covering the Lake Chad region disclosed that the clash resulted in casualties on both sides as soldiers engaged the insurgents in a prolonged firefight.
According to the report, blood stains were discovered outside the camp after the attack, suggesting that some of the insurgents may have also been wounded or killed during the exchange.
Items recovered from positions earlier occupied by the attackers included bandoliers of PKT ammunition, an AK-47 rifle, a BHT machine gun, two mortar bombs and four hand grenades.
During the operation, troops were also said to have intercepted an injured Boko Haram fighter within the community while he was being transported to the military camp.
The suspect reportedly attempted to escape upon sighting the soldiers, prompting another round of gunfire.
Military sources, however, said the situation in the area had been brought under control, with troops continuing security operations and conducting follow-up patrols to track fleeing insurgents.
The latest assault comes about a week after suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters attempted to attack military positions in Ngoshe, in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The Nigerian Air Force had earlier announced that more than 50 suspected terrorists were killed in a series of air strikes targeting insurgent enclaves in the state.
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