Nigerian army says it repelled Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks on Yobe and Borno bases

Nigeria's army says troops fought off overnight attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on two military sites in the country's north-east, killing 48 insurgents.

The assaults targeted the Northeast Theatre Training School in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, and a military position in Bitta, Borno State, on the night of Thursday, October 29, into the early hours of Friday, according to army spokesperson Captain Mohammed Goni.

What the army says

The military said the attackers were repelled after a fierce gun battle. One soldier was killed and two were lightly wounded, Reuters reported, citing the army.

Troops also recovered weapons, including 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four general-purpose machine guns and a 60mm mortar, the army said.

The figures are the military's own and could not be independently verified. Reports did not specify which of the two groups led each attack.

A surge in attacks

Attacks by Boko Haram and its splinter group ISWAP on military positions in the region have increased in recent weeks, according to Reuters. The groups have increasingly targeted army bases, both to seize weapons and to show they remain a threat despite years of military operations.

Buni Yadi has been hit before. In May, a coordinated assault struck the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in the town, in an attack in which police later said 17 of their officers were killed.

The wider conflict

The insurgency that began in north-east Nigeria in 2009 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than two million, according to the United Nations, spilling over into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon around Lake Chad.

ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016 and has since become the stronger of the two in many areas. Both have been weakened by military campaigns but have proved resilient, often regrouping in remote areas and around Lake Chad.

Separately, the Nigerian navy said marines killed 34 Boko Haram fighters in the Lake Chad area, and gunmen killed a soldier at a checkpoint in Plateau State, according to local media.

For residents of the north-east, the renewed attacks are a reminder that despite government claims of progress, security remains fragile ahead of Nigeria's general elections in January.