Boko Haram terrorists attacked Nigeria military base in Gudumbali

Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province faction of Boko Haram attacked a military base in Gudumbali late on Friday, December 14, military sources told AFP.

Fighters in several technicals – trucks fitted with anti-aircraft guns – attacked the base around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), leading to an hours-long fight, the two military sources said.

The attack was repelled with aerial support, the sources said.

There were no reports of casualties.

Islamic State claimed fighters from its West Africa Province affiliate attacked a military barracks in Gudumbali, killing five soldiers and injuring others. ISIS claimed two “tanks” and two other vehicles were destroyed, while militants captured three four-wheel-drive vehicles, weapons and ammunition.

The Nigerian Army on Sunday said it repelled an attack on Gudumbali on Friday. One soldier was killed and another wounded in the firefight.

Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu said in a statement that troops “repelled an infiltration by suspected Boko Haram terrorists that came disguised as civilian Internally Displaced Persons.”

Nwachukwu said the militants “took advantage of the ongoing distribution of relief materials” the army and opened fire on troops. This was followed by fire “from other terrorists in gun trucks along Gudumbali-Kukawa axis.”

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid were set on fire, and a Cobra Armoured Personnel Carrier and a military truck were also damaged.

Troops “inflicted heavy casualties” on the attackers and recovered bodies, Nwachukwu said but did not specify how many. A “large quantity of ammunition” and eight rocket propelled grenades were also recovered.

Three military sources told Reuters on Sunday that at least 12 Nigerian soldiers were killed and dozens of others were missing after the attack on a military base and a nearby community in Gudumbali local government area. One source said 28 militants were killed.

Source: Defence Post