A Commanding Officer and six soldiers were killed late Sunday night when their vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device in Monguno, Borno State — just minutes after the unit had successfully fought off a terrorist attack on their position.
Troops of Sector 3, Joint Task Force (North East), had come under an insurgent infiltration attempt at Charlie 13 location and engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle, forcing them to flee.
With the area apparently secured, the Commanding Officer drove forward to assess the situation firsthand.
His vehicle hit an IED. He and six of his men died at the scene.
The attack is the latest in a string of deadly incidents along the Borno corridor. Just days earlier, coordinated assaults were recorded in Ngamdu and Benisheik, while the military has been conducting sustained airstrikes on ISWAP enclaves in the Jilli axis following intelligence of insurgent buildup in the area.
Lt. Col. Sani Uba, Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, confirmed the deaths on Monday morning.
The identities of the fallen soldiers had not been officially released as of press time. Their families have yet to be contacted for comment.
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