Explosion leaves 8 anti-extremist soldiers dead in Nigeria
Violence from Nigeria's conflict has also spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon. (EPA Images pic)
KANO : Eight members of an anti-extremist militia assisting the Nigerian military were killed yesterday when their vehicle hit a landmine in northeastern Borno state, sources from the group told AFP.
Members of the militia were returning to the regional capital Maiduguri from the town of Marte in the Lake Chad area, where they had helped to repel an extremist attack on a military base, the two sources said.
'Their vehicle hit the landmine while driving between the towns of Marte and Dikwa around 2pm, killing all eight of them onboard,' Babakura Kolo, an anti-extremist militia leader in the region, told AFP.
In mid-May, fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) attacked a military base in Marte, a town in Borno state, killing four soldiers and seizing weapons before torching the facility.
The victims of yesterday's attack were among a contingent of anti-extremist militia who remained in Marte to help troops guard the town, said Ibrahim Liman, another militia leader.
Liman gave the same toll, saying the bodies of the victims were brought to Maiduguri, 90km away, and 'will be buried tomorrow morning'.
The Nigerian military yesterday confirmed troops had thwarted an extremist attempt to 'infiltrate' the Marte base, resulting in the 'decimation of several fleeing terrorists' with air support.
Two soldiers were killed in the incident, the military said in a statement.
Iswap and rival Boko Haram have escalated attacks on communities in Borno and neighbouring Adamawa and Yobe states in recent months.
They have also have intensified attacks on military bases, overrunning more than a dozen in two months, according to an AFP tally.
The 16-year extremist conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around 2 million from their homes in the northeast, according to the United Nations.
The violence has also spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the extremist groups.
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