Nigerian troops say they killed 25+ militants in Borno attack; Zamfara raid kills soldiers, miners

Right · 2Nigerian troops killed more than 25 Islamic State-aligned militants while fighting off an assault on a military position in Kukawa, in northeastern Borno State, according to the military. 1 2 Right · 2The military said troops of the 101 Special Forces Battalion were attacked on Tuesday night from four directions, near Lake Chad, and repelled the assault with air support. 1 2 Right · 1Captain Mohammed Goni, acting military information officer for Operation Hadin Kai, said a preliminary assessment found over 25 militants "neutralised", with 14 bodies recovered so far, and that troops seized six AK-47 rifles and ammunition. 1

Right · 2The military did not give its own losses; military sources told Reuters some soldiers were killed, while a senior officer speaking anonymously told the AP that 10 soldiers died. 1 2 Right · 1A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, which supports military operations in the northeast, told Reuters that more than three of its members were killed. 1 Right · 1The AP attributed the attack to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), citing the Nigerian military, and described it as a splinter group of Boko Haram that often targets remote, less fortified bases to seize weapons. 2

Right · 1In a separate, earlier incident in Zamfara State in the northwest, Reuters reported that gunmen on motorbikes attacked a military camp in Bindin on October 5, killing at least 25 troops according to three eyewitnesses; a resident said they counted 25 bodies, and a military source said the gunmen looted the base. 1 Right · 1The gunmen then opened fire on a mining pit where about 1,000 people were digging for gold, killing at least 100 people according to a village head and victims' relatives. 1 Right · 1Reuters said it could not confirm the casualty figures, and neither the Nigerian military nor the Zamfara State government responded to requests for comment. 1

Mixed · 2Reuters said the attacks underscore the persistent threat from Islamist insurgents in the northeast despite years of campaigns against Boko Haram and ISWAP, with violence spreading in the northwest, and that insecurity is likely to be a key issue in the election early next year. 3 1