MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – About 20 soldiers were killed and nearly 1,000 people made homeless in a militant attack on a town in northeastern Nigeria, two residents and a military source said on Wednesday.
Resident Gumati Sadu said people fled into the bush for safety during the fighting and that three civilians were killed by stray bullets.
A military spokesman declined to comment.
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed responsibility for the attack on its Amaq news agency.
It said that one of its militants detonated a car bomb in the town, killing at least 8 soldiers and destroying 3 armoured vehicles.
The group also said it had seized a vehicle, weapons and ammunition before leaving the town.
ISWAP split from Islamist group Boko Haram in 2016 and has since staged its own frequent attacks in the region.
Boko Haram’s decade-long insurgency campaign has killed thousands and displaced millions in northeastern Nigeria.
Thousands in Monguno had already been displaced from their homes elsewhere in Borno state by militants. Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres warned last year that many thousands in Monguno lacked proper shelter, water, sanitation and food.
Reporting By Maiduguri newsroom, additional reporting by Samar Hassan in Cairo writing by Libby George; editing by Grant McCool
