By Adewale Kolawole and Ahmed Kingimi
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Oct 15 (Reuters) – Suspected Boko Haram fighters killed at least 10 soldiers and wounded at least 20 others in a coordinated assault on an army base in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state this week, military sources and residents said on Thursday.
The militants attacked the base in the Guzamala local government area on Tuesday night, overrunning troops, destroying military vehicles and setting fire to parts of nearby Mairari village, two military sources said.
More than 20 people were wounded in the assault, while at least five civilians and a forest guard were killed, the sources said on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media.
Military spokesperson Captain Mohammed Goni did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment on the attack.
Before the attack on the military base, the fighters seized more than 40 fishing boats in Tumbun Barebari, a nearby lakeside village, said Jibrin Hassan, a fisherman who lost his boat in the raid.
Babagana Muhammad, another fisherman, said “it was a simultaneous attack… just that the difference is we the fishermen were not harmed”.
Attacks by Islamist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have intensified in recent weeks despite years of military operations aimed at containing the 17-year insurgency in northeastern Nigeria.
Last week, Nigerian troops repelled an attack on a military position in Borno state, killing more than 25 ISWAP fighters, though the military’s own casualties were not disclosed.
(Reporting by Adewale Kolawole and Ahmed Kingimi in Maiduguri. Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Ros Russell)
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