At least 27 Nigerian soldiers were killed in a jihadist suicide attack in the northeast, two Army sources confirmed to YEPS News on Sunday.
On Friday, troops initiated a ground offensive on a stronghold of Islamic State-affiliated militants in a desolate region straddling Borno and Yobe states.
“The suicide attack killed 27 soldiers, including the commander, and left several others seriously injured,” said a military officer, marking this as one of the deadliest suicide attacks targeting soldiers in recent years.
“It was dark, which made it difficult for the troops to have a clear view of the surroundings,” added another officer regarding the attack, which occurred around 2030 GMT.
The officer mentioned that the death toll could rise as some of the wounded were in a “critical condition.”
A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle, concealed in thick foliage, into a convoy of advancing troops targeting the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, according to the two military officers.
Both officers requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the incident.
Nigerian military officials were unavailable for comment on the attack.
ISWAP split from the mainstream Boko Haram in 2016, becoming the dominant militant faction in the northeast. They seized territory previously under Boko Haram control, including the Timbuktu Triangle and Sambisa forest, which had become a jihadist stronghold.
The group is notorious for planting roadside mines and rigging vehicles with explosives to target troops.
In July last year, seven soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a landmine in a village where ISWAP is active.
The 15-year-old conflict has claimed the lives of 40,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast.
The violence has also spilled into neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, leading to the formation of a regional force to combat the militants.