Nigeria army retakes military base from ISIS-linked militants

Nigerian troops regained control of a military base in the northeast hours after it was seized by ISIS-linked militants, sources told AFP on Sunday.

The militants captured the base in Borno state on Saturday, after launching raids earlier in the week.

Officials blamed the violence on Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a group that split from Boko Haram in 2016.

The army has claimed some success recently, destroying at least one of the group’s camps located on islands in Lake Chad, on the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

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An army statement Saturday evening said its troops along with the air force had “effectively destroyed seven Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists’ gun trucks” and killed several of the fighters.

“The troops are still engaged in pursuit of the fleeing terrorists,” the statement added.

Nigerian Army soldiers are seen driving on a military vehicle in Ngamdu, Nigeria, on November 3, 2020. (Audu Marte/AFP)

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Sources told AFP on Sunday that the army had regained control of the base and the extremists had left Marte, the town where the base is located.

However, the barracks were completely burnt and the extremists made off with weaponry and vehicles.

Seven soldiers were killed during the fighting and eight others captured, sources said.