Nine Soldiers Killed, Several Missing After ISWAP Ambush in Borno

At least nine Nigerian soldiers were killed and more than a dozen are unaccounted for following an attack by IS-aligned militants in Borno State, military and militia sources reported Tuesday, January 27.

The assault took place on Friday near Damask, close to the Niger border, when fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) targeted a foot patrol of over 30 soldiers with gunfire and explosives.

A military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said soldiers were 25 kilometres from their base when the ambush occurred. “We lost nine soldiers in an ambush by ISWAP terrorists, and many others remain missing,” he said.

The officer described the chaos as troops scattered under sustained fire. He added that the militants had planted explosives along the route, which detonated during the attack and contributed to the casualties. Eight soldiers managed to return to base, while the remainder, including a major commanding the patrol, are still missing.

Calls to the commander’s mobile phone reportedly reached a man claiming to be with ISWAP, indicating the possibility that some soldiers are in captivity.

Ya-Mulam Kadai, spokesman for a government-backed anti-jihadist militia operating in the area, confirmed the casualty figures and said the bodies of the nine fallen soldiers were recovered by a military search team.

Requests for comment from the Nigerian military were not immediately answered.