Eight Nigerian soldiers have reportedly been killed after their patrol vehicle struck a landmine allegedly planted by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in Borno State.
The incident occurred on Saturday in Kinuba village, approximately 25 kilometres from Gamboru, near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, according to defence sources who spoke to AFP on Sunday.
Reports indicate that the soldiers were monitoring members of a local anti-insurgency militia who were clearing thick vegetation along a highway when their vehicle ran over the explosive device. The blast reportedly killed all eight soldiers inside the vehicle.
“All eight soldiers in the vehicle were killed in the explosion,” a military officer in the region told AFP.
Ibrahim Liman, a member of the militia supporting military operations against insurgents, also confirmed the casualties. He said the explosive had been placed on the unpaved road and detonated remotely.
Liman added that a militia member overseeing the vegetation-clearing exercise sustained shrapnel injuries in the explosion.
The incident occurred on the same day the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, visited Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, following an earlier attack on a military base. That assault reportedly killed 15 soldiers and five members of the supporting militia.
ISWAP was blamed for the latest explosion, amid continuing concerns over militants using roadside explosives and dense vegetation to target security personnel and other road users.
The latest reported casualties underscore the persistent security challenges facing military and allied forces operating in Borno State, a major theatre of Nigeria’s long-running insurgency.
