Nigeria: 80 militants killed, army says
March 18, 2026
Nigerian soldiers killed at least 80 suspected militants near a military base in the northeastern Borno state, the country's army said on Wednesday.
Backed by air support, the Nigerian military said it repelled a coordinated overnight assault by insurgents of an unclear affiliation near the Niger border.
Attack comes on heels of suicide bombings
Wednesday's attack follows escalating jihadi violence in the conflict-battered state by Boko Haram and its rival offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province. Earlier this week, three suspected suicide bombings killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 100 others in Borno's capital, Maiduguri.
While no group claimed responsibility for the bombings in the city of around 1.2 million people, officials' suspicion fell on Boko Haram. The jihadi group launched an insurgency 17 years ago in northeastern Nigeria with a radical interpretation of Sharia law.
On Wednesday, Nigerian army spokesman Sani Uba described the military's attack as an "offensive-defensive" response.
Authorities added that "no fewer than 80 terrorists" were killed, including "high-profile" commanders.
International media have not been able to independently verify these claims.
Since its insurgency in 2009, Boko Haram has killed more than 40,000 and displaced around 2 million people, according to figures by the United Nations.
Edited by: Sean Sinico