MONGUNO, Nigeria — A senior Nigerian Army officer, Colonel I.A. Muhammad, and four soldiers were killed in the early hours of Monday following a coordinated ambush by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Borno State.
The Commander of the 242 Battalion was leading a reinforcement mission to a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the Monguno axis that had come under heavy fire during an overnight assault.
The insurgents launched a multi-pronged attack on the base late Sunday night. While Colonel Muhammad and his team were en route to provide support, they were hit by a tactical ambush involving a remotely detonated explosive device and gunfire. The Colonel and four of his men died at the scene, while several others sustained various degrees of injury.
This latest tragedy marks a devastating week for military leadership in the Northeast. It comes just four days after the death of Brigadier General Oseni Braimah, Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade, who was killed during an insurgent raid in Benisheikh on April 9.
Military authorities have yet to issue a formal statement, but troops remain on high alert as search-and-clearance operations continue across the Monguno and Marte sectors.
