KANO, Nigeria — At least 17 people, including a
soldier and aid worker, were killed in the latest attacks by Daesh-aligned
extremists in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, security and militia sources
said Tuesday.
اضافة اعلان
Hundreds of fighters from Daesh West Africa Province stormed
the town of Rann on the border with Cameroon on Monday, pushing troops out of a
base and occupying the town for several hours.
The attack prompted a mass exodus of residents towards
Cameroon before ground troops reclaimed the town with aerial support.
Daesh West Africa, which split from Boko Haram in 2016, has
been consolidating its control since the death in May of Boko Haram leader
Abubakar Shekau in clashes between the two rival factions.
Heavily-armed fighters "came in around 1:30am on foot
like a swarm of locusts and overwhelmed soldiers who had to abandon their
base", said an anti-terror militia leader in the town.
"The insurgents killed 11 people in the attack,"
said the source who asked not to be identified.
The extremist militants stole weapons before setting fire to
buildings and vehicles, added the militia leader, in an account supported by a
second militia member in the town.
A United Nations security source in the region said a
soldier and a local volunteer with a foreign aid agency were among the dead.
The
Nigerian military confirmed the attack on the base,
saying troops restored calm after they were initially dislodged.
Earlier on Monday the terrorists attacked nearby Ajiri town,
killing six residents, the two militia sources said.
Rann, home to 35,000 people displaced by the extremist
violence, has been repeatedly targeted by Daesh West Africa and rival Boko
Haram.
In May, Daesh West Africa attacked the town and killed 35
people, including five troops and 15 militia members.
The 12-year-long insurgency which has spilled into parts of neighboring
Niger, Chad and Cameroon has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced around
2 million from their homes.
Read more
Region and World
.jpg)
.jpg)
