13 Nigerian soldiers and a Policeman have been killed after members of Boko Haram ambushed a military convoy in Northeastern Nigeria.
According to an Army statement, the attackers ambushed the military convoy late on Monday on a highway linking Maiduguiri with Damaturu in Yobe state.
“Sadly, 13 military and a police personnel… paid the supreme price while extricating themselves from the ambush,” the statement, signed by by local military spokesman Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu. said.
An earlier attack on a nearby military base along the highway in Kukareta village, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Damaturu was repelled by troops who overpowered the terrorists and killed others.
Sources have told Guardian that: “The terrorists killed 17 soldiers in the attack, which lasted for more than an hour,” an officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“They took over the military base after overpowering troops and burnt it down. A policeman was killed when their vehicle which was heading to Damaturu ran into crossfire but the driver escaped unhurt,” the source said.
The insurgency has killed over 27,000 people and displaced millions more.