World

10 soldiers killed in ambush in Nigeria

News On Time Desk 07 February 2025

Neighboring countries Burkina Faso, Mali have been battling an insurgency by jihadist groups for more than a decade. Some groups are linked to terrorist organizations Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. At least 10 soldiers were killed when armed attackers ambushed a military contingent sent to take action against cattle smugglers on the border with Burkina Faso in western Nigeria. Nigeria's military government gave this information.

The army issued a statement on Wednesday night saying that the military contingent was deployed on Monday to catch cattle smugglers in Takzat village. "During the operation, a group of criminals ambushed the security forces in which 10 of our soldiers were killed," the statement said. The attackers fled but the army captured and killed 15 "terrorists" on Tuesday. Nigeria and neighboring Burkina Faso, Mali have been battling an insurgency by jihadist groups for more than a decade.

Some groups are linked to the terrorist organizations al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. All three countries have military governments and have sent back French troops who were responsible for security. The three countries have vowed to strengthen mutual cooperation by establishing a new security alliance.