Terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Saturday claimed responsibility for the killing of 15 Nigerian soldiers in an ambush near Gudumbali, in the Lake Chad region.
Reports had it that the Nigerian soldiers were in a convoy of 10 vehicles, moving from Kukawa when they were entrapped and attacked by the terrorists on Thursday.
However, the terrorists on the other hand lost four men with many others injured.
On Saturday, ISWAP issued a statement, claiming responsibility for the ambush, according to the SITE jihadist monitoring agency.
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The attack was the latest in the conflict which has killed 36,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in northeast Nigeria since it began 12 years ago.
‘We lost 15 soldiers and four civilian JTF (militia) in the terrorists’ ambush in the forest near Gudumbali,‘ a military officer, who asked not to be identified, told reporters.
He said 13 Civilian JTF fighters, including 10 troops, were wounded in the ambush.
It said scores of the ISWAP elements were eliminated in the fight.
ISWAP which split from Boko Haram in 2016, has become a dominant threat in Nigeria mostly attacking military bases and killing troops.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK