ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- At least 20 Cameroonian soldiers were killed in an early morning raid by Boko Haram fighters in the Nigerian border town of Wulgo, security sources and residents told AFP on Tuesday, Channels TV reports.
Cameroonian troops, stationed across the border in Nigeria as part of anti-jihadist operations, were caught off guard as militants disguised as herders and traders launched a surprise attack on their military positions near the volatile Lake Chad region.
According to two intelligence sources assisting troops in counterterrorism efforts, Boko Haram fighters blended in with herders at the weekly market in Gamboru, a commercial hub 15 kilometers (nine miles) away, before moving into Wulgo under the cover of night to execute their assault.
“The insurgents attacked the bases around 1:00 am and fighting continued for two hours before they subdued the troops and burnt the bases, after taking away heavy weapons,” one of the sources revealed.
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The attackers seized a cache of arms, including Soviet-made Shilka guns lightly armored, radar-guided anti-aircraft weapons before retreating.
Another source confirmed the death toll, stating that “twenty Cameroonian troops were killed in the fighting and their bodies were transported across the border into Cameroon this morning.”
Local resident Muhammad Sani Umar, who visited Wulgo after the attack, described the destruction. “I saw three Cameroonian military trucks conveying 13 bodies across the border into Cameroon this morning,” he told AFP.
He added that the military bases were in ruins, with buildings torched and vehicles burned.
Since losing its stronghold in Sambisa Forest to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in 2021, Boko Haram has relocated its activities to Lake Chad, Wulgo, Waza, Gwoza, Pulka, and the Mandara Mountains along the Nigeria-Cameroon border.
The area has faced repeated Boko Haram attacks, with militants kidnapping and killing loggers, herders, and scrap metal scavengers they suspect of collaborating with the military or local militias.
In March 2021, a similar attack in Wulgo resulted in the deaths of two Cameroonian soldiers, with three others and a Nigerian soldier injured.
Since 2009, Boko Haram’s insurgency has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced two million people in northeast Nigeria.
The violence has spilled into neighboring countries including Niger, Chad, and Cameroon prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to combat jihadist groups.