ISWAP Drone Attack Reportly Kills 2 Soldiers, Injures 13 In Borno

Two soldiers have been reportedly killed, while 13 others sustained injuries following a drone attack by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on a military formation in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

The attack reportedly occurred at about 6:14 p.m. on Saturday, shortly after a delegation of the Borno State Government, including the Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, visited the town.

Security sources disclosed that the terrorists allegedly deployed some of their fighters to conduct surveillance around the military formation before launching the drone attack.

One of the sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the incident, said suspected insurgents were initially sighted around the Gudumbali Gate before disappearing shortly before the explosion.

“We saw some of them hovering around the Gudumbali Gate, and they later disappeared. Shortly afterwards, a drone came in and detonated, killing two soldiers and injuring 13 others,” the source said.

Another security source disclosed that the casualties were personnel of the 101 Battalion deployed around the Gudumbali Gate and other operational positions in the area.

According to the source, the insurgents launched the attack from a distance after allegedly gathering intelligence on the military formation.

“They attacked from a distance using a drone. Before the attack, they sent some of their men to gather information before launching the drone,” the source added.

The latest incident highlights the growing security concerns over the use of armed drones by insurgent groups in the North-East, particularly in their attacks against military formations.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the military nor the police had issued an official statement on the attack.