At least 65 Nigerian soldiers killed in jihadist raids in country's north-east

"On 5 and 6 March, gunmen from Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) overran four military bases in Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency. Nigerian daily the Punch reported that about 40 soldiers were killed in total in these attacks. In a statement on 7 March, the same day a mass funeral was held for the fallen troops, the military disputed the death toll but did not provide an alternative number."

"According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, 300 people, including women and children, were also abducted by Iswap gunmen, who used sophisticated machinery including anti-aircraft machine guns and drones during the raids. The attacks follow a pattern of coordinated raids by jihadists on military facilities in the country's north, which is being ravaged by an almost two-decade insurgency."

"Nigeria has been struggling to contain the conflict, which has spread to cover the Lake Chad basin area, also cutting across Cameroon, Chad and Niger. More than 2 million people have been displaced by the insurgency. Since then, the sect has broken into at least three factions, including the ruthless Iswap."

Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) launched coordinated attacks on Nigerian military bases in Borno state on March 5-6 and March 8-9, killing at least 65 soldiers across multiple locations including Delwa, Goniri, Kukawa, and Mainok. The raids involved sophisticated weaponry including anti-aircraft machine guns and drones. Approximately 300 people, including women and children, were abducted during the attacks. These assaults reflect an ongoing pattern of jihadist operations in Nigeria's north, part of a nearly two-decade insurgency that has displaced over 2 million people and spread across the Lake Chad basin region affecting Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

Read at www.theguardian.com