ABUJA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 22 Nigerian soldiers have been killed and several others wounded by suspected terrorists in a remote town in the country's northeastern state of Borno, the military said.
Edward Buba, spokesperson for the military, confirmed the casualties in a statement obtained Monday by Xinhua in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, without revealing where and when the attack took place. He said the suspected terrorists planned an ambush and deployed improvised explosive devices, such as person-borne explosive devices and vehicle-borne explosive devices, to ward off advancing ground troops during an anti-terror raid.
The recent attack on troops followed the thwarting of several terrorist attempts on military bases in Borno, with the military "shooting down the amateur drones used by the terrorists" in some of the attacks, Buba said, recalling that at least 70 suspected terrorists, including a brigade commander and a special forces commander for an armed group in the northeast region, had been killed earlier.
On Sunday, local media outlets reported that another high-ranking commander was also among those killed during the attack on an army base in Borno.
Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. ■
