This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
Published on July 9, 2020, a brutal ambush by fighters linked to the Islamic State group in Nigeria's Borno state has left a trail of destruction and loss of life.
The attack occurred on Tuesday at Bulabulin village, approximately 40 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital.
Initially, it was reported that 23 soldiers had been killed, with many listed as missing. However, security sources later revealed that more bodies had been discovered in nearby bush, significantly increasing the death toll.
A security source disclosed that 35 soldiers had lost their lives in the ambush, with 18 others injured and 30 still missing. The fate of the missing soldiers remains unknown.
Rescue teams combed the area around the scene of the attack, recovering 35 bodies of troops. Another 30 have not been accounted for, with it unclear whether they are dead or alive.
The jihadists torched a mine-resistant vehicle and made off with eight guntrucks, guns, and communication equipment.
The Nigerian military confirmed the ambush on Wednesday but downplayed the losses, stating only two soldiers were killed and four wounded. The military also claimed 17 insurgents were killed in the subsequent fighting.
However, Nigeria's army has a history of underplaying losses in the decade-long conflict in northeast Nigeria, which has resulted in the deaths of 36,000 people and forced around two million from their homes.
ISWAP, a splinter group from the main Boko Haram group, has become a dominant force in the region since its formation in 2016. The group has focused its attacks on military targets but has increasingly launched bloody assaults on civilians in recent months.
