Borno Highway Blast: Soldiers Killed as Military Vehicle Hits Landmine

At least eight Nigerian soldiers have been killed after a military patrol vehicle struck a landmine along a highway in Borno State, north-east Nigeria.

The incident occurred on Saturday in Kinuba village, about 25 kilometres from Gamboru, near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, according to defence sources cited by AFP.

The soldiers were reportedly travelling along the highway while inspecting members of an anti-insurgency militia involved in clearing thick vegetation beside the road when their vehicle ran over the explosive.

The blast killed all eight soldiers aboard the vehicle, while a militia member supervising the vegetation-clearing operation sustained shrapnel injuries.

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A member of the militia, Ibrahim Liman, said the explosive had been planted on the dusty road and detonated remotely.

The attack was blamed on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an armed group that operates in the region and has repeatedly targeted security personnel and civilians.

The highway attack came amid renewed violence in Borno, where insurgents have continued to target military formations and patrols despite ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

The incident also occurred on the day the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, visited Maiduguri, the state capital, following a separate attack on a military base that reportedly killed 15 soldiers and five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.

ISWAP and its rival, Boko Haram, have increasingly used improvised explosive devices and landmines against military convoys and other road users in the North-East.

The latest incident underscores the continuing security risks along major highways in Borno, where thick vegetation can provide cover for insurgents to plant explosives and launch attacks on passing vehicles.