Six Nigerian soldiers killed in Boko Haram ambush

Suspected members of the Boko Haram on Sunday morning ambushed Nigerian troops in Banki area of Borno State, killing six soldiers.

Military sources confirmed that the attack occurred close to Banki junction.

Premium Times is withholding the identities of the slain soldiers to allow the army brief the families. However, the victims, members of the 151 task force battalion, include two sergeants, two lance corporals and two privates.

"We lost six soldiers to Boko Haram terrorists this morning. The guys came unexpectedly with sophisticated weapons," an army officer in Borno said, asking not to be named for fear of victimisation.

Banki is 130 km southeast of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. Apart from the original residents, the community also houses some 45,000 people displaced by the Boko Haram violence.

When contacted on the attack, the army spokesperson Sagir Musa said he has no information about it.

"I don't know what you want me to confirm because as I speak to you I'm not in Nigeria. I'm on course in London. Thank you," he said.

Sunday's attack in Banki is the latest in a string of attacks by the terror group on Borno communities.

The Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria has caused over 30,000 deaths and displaced millions of others, mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, according to the United Nations.

The Nigerian military has been able to limit the activities of the terror group to the three North-eastern states. However, the group is still able to carry out attacks on civilian and military targets in those three states.