Boko Haram terrorists launched a deadly ambush on Nigerian military personnel in Baga, near Lake Chad, resulting in the disappearance of an unspecified number of troops.
According to a military source, the soldiers were attacked while attempting to recover the bodies of 40 civilians killed in a previous assault by the insurgents.
The ambush led to a heavy exchange of gunfire, with reports of several soldiers killed.
“Our troops went in search of dead bodies of civilians killed by the terrorists, we went too far in search of them and the terrorists ambushed us, a combined team of the armed forces, including civilians.
“There was an exchange of fire, they killed some of our soldiers,” the source disclosed, adding that the exact number of casualties remained unconfirmed as some soldiers were still returning to base and the bodies have not yet been recovered.
The attack follows another deadly incident reportedly carried out by the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, where dozens of farmers were killed on Sunday.
Civilians in Baga, including members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), hunters, and local youth, mobilised a group of 50 people to retrieve the bodies of those killed in the earlier attack.
Tragically, this group was also ambushed by Boko Haram insurgents. According to local reports, only one person from the recovery team has returned, while the fate of the others remains uncertain.
A civilian source detailed that the recovery team consisted of CJTF members, local hunters, and vigilantes. The source confirmed that several people were killed in the ambush but could not specify the exact number of casualties. The incident occurred on Tuesday, a day after the initial attack that claimed the lives of 40 residents in Baga.
Separately, another attack in Gwoza resulted in the death of six individuals, including five reportedly repentant insurgents, CJTF members, and hunters.
These incidents highlight the continued threat posed by Boko Haram and ISWAP in the region, as well as the significant challenges faced by both military and civilian efforts to respond to and recover from such violent attacks.
