Fri 14 June 2019:
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – Islamist insurgents overran a Nigerian army base in the country’s northeast, killing at least the commander, two Nigerian security sources said on Thursday. Militants on Wednesday took a Nigerian army base at the village of Kareto in northeastern Borno state, some 130 kilometers from state capital Maiduguri, the security sources said. No other details about possible further casualties were available.
Nigerian army spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The latest development is at odds with the Nigerian military’s public statements as recently as Monday that their campaigns against Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West African branch are making “major breakthroughs”, statements that frequently describe the insurgents as “remnants”. It was not immediately clear whether the attackers were affiliated with Boko Haram or Islamic State.
