The Nigerian army has repelled an attack on a military base in the west of the country where nearly 1,700 jihadists are being held, killing eight suspected insurgents affiliated with the Islamic State group, two military sources said on Monday (October 31st).
Dozens of fighters from the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) group tried to enter the Wawa military base in Niger State, near the border with Benin, on Saturday to free hundreds of jihadists. , the two officers told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The attack is a reminder of Iswap’s ability to strike hundreds of miles from its northeast stronghold, where the army is fighting a thirteen-year-old jihadist insurgency.
“The terrorists attacked the base around midnight in large numbers, but were pulverized by air support, leading to the deaths of eight of them”, said one of the officers. Three attackers, including their commander, were captured during the attack, he added. The army made no official comment.
Warned by intelligence, the soldiers waited for the insurgents to attack the base, said a second officer who gave the same assessment. The heavily armed jihadists attempted to blow down the gates of the base, but encountered a “strong resistance” from the soldiers, he continued: “It was obvious that they wanted to release other terrorists detained in the base as they had done in Kuje prison. »
Enhanced security in Abuja
In July, Iswap fighters attacked Kuje prison, located near the capital Abuja, and freed hundreds of detainees, including many jihadist commanders.
Between 2017 and 2018, the Wawa base had been used as a court to try hundreds of Boko Haram and Iswap jihadists.
Nigerian police on Friday stepped up security, particularly in the capital, after the US and UK warned of a risk “increased terrorist attack” in Abuja. Washington gave no further details but ordered the families of its diplomatic staff to leave Abuja.
Increasingly, Iswap claims attacks far from the northeast, notably in Kogi and Niger states, which both border the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where Abuja is located. The jihadist insurgency in the northeast has left nearly 40,000 dead and two million displaced.