Eight Nigerian soldiers have reportedly died after their patrol vehicle struck a landmine allegedly planted by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in Borno State.
The explosion occurred on Saturday in Kinuba village, about 25 kilometres from Gamboru, near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, according to defence sources who spoke to AFP on Sunday.
The soldiers were reportedly monitoring anti-jihadist militia members clearing thick vegetation along a highway when their vehicle hit the explosive device, killing all eight occupants.
“All eight soldiers in the vehicle were killed in the explosion,” a military officer in the region said.
Ibrahim Liman, a member of the militia supporting military counter-insurgency operations, also confirmed the death toll. He said the explosive had been placed on an unpaved road and detonated remotely.
“The explosive was planted on the dusty road and remotely detonated by a detonating cord,” Liman stated.
He added that a militia member overseeing the vegetation-clearing operation suffered shrapnel injuries in the blast.
The incident occurred on the same day the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, visited Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
His visit followed an earlier attack on a military base that reportedly killed 15 soldiers and five members of the anti-jihadist militia.
ISWAP was blamed for the latest landmine attack as militants continue to use thick vegetation along highways to conceal explosives and target security personnel and road users.
The deaths highlight the continuing dangers faced by Nigerian troops and local militia members involved in counter-insurgency operations in the north-east.
