Five Nigerian Army personnel have been killed after a military convoy struck an improvised explosive device (IED) in Baga, Borno State, as confirmed by 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.
ISWAP in a post sighted by SaharaReporters on Monday night also said another soldier and five hunters were killed when its “fighters attacked Boloko village in the Adamawa State on June 24.”
It described Boloko as a “Christian community, hence the attack.”
Since the death of JAS leader, Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad.
Just recently, it appointed Wali Sani Shuwaram, a 45-year-old as the new Leader (Wali) of ISWAP in Lake Chad.
The sect’s membership has swollen with the defection of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters under Shekau.
The Nigerian Army has repeatedly claimed that insurgency had been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses.
The terror group has caused over 50,000 deaths and displaced millions of individuals mainly in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states.