At least 65 soldiers—including three senior officers—have been killed in jihadist raids on military garrisons in Nigeria’s northeast this month. Five bases were overrun by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)—four of them in a single night March 5-6, showing a notable level of coordination. Military equipment was also torched or captured, including armored vehicles. ISWAP’s “Burn the Camps” offensive began last year, and is accelerating against an overstretched military. (TNH)
Photo via TNH
Boko Haram triple bombing kills 23 in Maiduguri
Three simultaneous bomb explosions by Boko Haram in Maiduguri on March 16 killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100. The early evening blasts–as people were breaking their Ramadan fast–targeted the entrance to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and two popular markets. It was a significant security breach in the center of a city that’s the headquarters of the Nigerian military’s counter-insurgency campaign in the northeast, and of the humanitarian response.Â
The suspected suicide attack follows a series of setbacks for the military at the hands of Boko Haram’s rival, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Over the last few months, the group has overrun a string of rural bases in coordinated attacks. It tried again on March 18 at Malam Fatori, near the border with Niger, using armed drones. But this time the assault was repelled by the army with the help of air support. ISWAP reportedly lost more than 60 fighters, including senior commanders. (TNH)