Nigerian army kills over 50 Boko Haram militants as it fights off drone attacks

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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s military killed more than 50 Boko Haram militants in response to drone attacks on military bases in the country’s northeast, the army said Thursday.

Army spokesperson Sani Uba said in a statement that militants launched simultaneous attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states early Thursday. It added that a combination of ground and air assaults enabled the military to defeat the militants who launched their attacks from northern Cameroon and Katarko, a village located in Yobe State.

The spokesperson said that ground troops, backed by the Air Component, are still pursuing more than 70 wounded militants “in close coordination.”

Last month, Boko Haram militants killed at least 60 people in a nighttime attack on Darul Jamal, a village in northeastern Nigeria.

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law or Sharia.

The decade-long conflict has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors, including Niger, and resulted in the death of around 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million others, according to the United Nations.

The insurgent group split into two factions after the death of the group’s longtime leader, Abubakar Shekau, in 2021.

One faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province, is backed by the Islamic State group and has become notorious for targeting military positions.

Recently, the U.S. approved a potential $346 million weapons sale to improve security in Africa’s most populous country.

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AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa