Militants overran an army base in northeastern Nigeria, killing more than 30 soldiers before pulling back in the face of air strikes, soldiers and a resident, sources said on Monday.
The attackers were believed to belong to the regional offshoot of ISIS. Three soldiers and the resident stated that they hit the base in Mainok town in northeast Borno state on Sunday afternoon.
Growing insecurity across Nigeria has killed scores of soldiers and civilians this year. Just over a month ago, about 30 soldiers were killed in four attacks by militants in northeast Nigeria.
Moreover, a military spokesman mentioned they would issue a statement on the incident but declined to comment further.
The sources told Reuters that about 33 soldiers were killed in Sunday's attack, noting that the militants wore military camouflage and arrived in around 16 gun trucks and six mine-resistant military vehicles.
After several hours, they captured the base and soldiers called in airstrikes, one of the soldiers said.
The soldier sources added that more soldiers were killed when militants ambushed reinforcements sent to help. In addition, one of the residents said the attackers also set ablaze the town's police headquarters.
"I saw them while fighting with soldiers," resident Ba Umar Abba Tuja told Reuters. "When the fighter jet started hovering in the air, the (militants) fled to the community and hid in the primary school."
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