ISWAP Raid Kills 15 Soldiers, 5 Militia in Borno

Nigeria’s Army Chief of Staff visited troops in the northeast on Saturday, days after Islamic State-aligned fighters killed 15 soldiers and five anti-jihadist militia members in Borno state. The attack overran a military base in Mairari village. After the fighters burned it, troops withdrew toward Monguno.

The Mairari Attack

The attackers belonged to Islamic State in West African Province, or ISWAP. They struck the base in the Lake Chad area overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. A Nigerian military officer told AFP the militants killed 15 soldiers and five civilian JTF members who were assisting them. The officer said the fighters “razed the base to the ground.”

Troops pulled back toward Monguno, a garrison town about 18 kilometres away, the officer said. Several soldiers remained missing after the attack, prompting fears among their colleagues that jihadists may have captured them. The officer asked not to be named because he wasn’t authorised to speak publicly about the incident.

Mairari resident Grema Butari said the attack began at around 2200 GMT. He described a “prolonged battle” before the fighters drove troops from the base and stayed there until daybreak. Butari said the attackers “took everything of value they could carry and burnt the rest along with several vehicles.” He gave the same death toll as the military officer.

Another resident, Ahmad Sherif, said people believed the jihadists launched the attack from their base in Gudumbali, in neighbouring Guzamala district. Sherif also confirmed the “total destruction” of Mairari’s military base.

Insurgency and Displacement

Borno is the epicentre of an insurgency by Boko Haram and its later splinter group ISWAP. Violence began in 2009, killing thousands and displacing millions across northeast Nigeria. It eased from its peak a decade ago, then rose over the past two years.

The United Nations says the insurgency has killed tens of thousands and displaced around two million people from their homes in northeastern Nigeria. Those figures cover the wider conflict across the region; reports on the Mairari attack identify the soldiers and civilian JTF members killed there.

Nigeria is experiencing its most violent period in nearly three decades, according to the base article. The second quarter of 2026 recorded the highest level of violence since the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project began tracking it in 1997.

More Attacks on Military Positions

Last week, ISWAP fighters attacked a military outpost in neighbouring Kukawa. Around two dozen militants and soldiers died in that attack, according to military and local sources. The fighters looted weapons before troops, aided by fighter jets, drove them back.

Mairari saw weapons seized and the base destroyed. The military officer said militants looted weapons, while Butari reported they carried away everything of value they could transport and burned what remained. The Army Chief of Staff’s Saturday visit followed the deaths and the troop withdrawal from the destroyed position.