Militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, have allegedly killed 33 Nigerian soldiers in Borno state.
According to ISWAP, in a statement released on Saturday, the soldiers were killed during an ambush on the Nigerian troops in Monguno.
The group also claimed 20 soldiers were injured in the attack.
Attached to the statement were pictures showing about 15 bodies of dead military officers.
Also displayed were seven operational vehicles, military hardware and ammunitions the group captured from the Nigerian army.
Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have killed thousands and displaced millions in North-Eastern Nigeria.
The Nigerian military has repeatedly claimed that the insurgency had been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses.
In the past months, the insurgents have targeted soldiers who lay ambush on their path.
Hundreds of soldiers and officers have been reportedly killed since January 2021.
At least 33 soldiers were recently killed when two explosive-laden vehicles rammed into a military convoy in Wulgo.
The suicide bombers were identified as Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Bana Jundullah. The group also claimed four military vehicles were destroyed.
In February, about 20 soldiers were also killed in Malari, Borno State, by the insurgents.
SaharaReporters gathered that the soldiers were on patrol to clear some Boko Haram elements in the area following credible intelligence when the group ambushed them.
