BREAKING: Terrorists Take Over Military Base In Borno

Terrorists Take Over Military Base In Borno.

Jihadists aligned with the Islamic State militant group have captured a military base in Borno state after overnight clashes with troops, according to sources on Saturday.

About two sources explained that, Machine-gun wielding fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked the base in the town of Marte in the Lake Chad area overnight Friday into Saturday.

“The priority now is to reclaim the base from the terrorists and an operation is underway,” one of the sources said.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: US President Donald Trump Almost Assassinated

“We took a hit from ISWAP terrorists. They raided the base in Marte after a fierce battle.”

The second source said the army “incurred losses” but it was not yet clear how many people had died or the level of destruction inflicted by the terrorists.

ISWAP, which split from Boko Haram in 2016, have camps on islands in Lake Chad — where Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad meet — and the area is known to be group’s bastion.

Last week, the jihadists attacked the Marte base but were repelled, prompting them to mobilise more fighters for the overnight raid, said the sources.

The raid was seen as a “fightback” after recent losses — troops recently overran ISWAP’s second largest camp in Talala village, the sources said.

In November 2020, officials began the phased return of residents to Marte six years after they were pushed out by the jihadists.

The town, 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the regional capital Maiduguri, was once considered the breadbasket of the region of Lake Chad.

At least 36,000 people have been killed in the jihadist conflict since 2009 and violence has spread into neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition.

AFP