At least 10 soldiers have been killed and some others injured by bandits proscribed as terrorists who attacked a military base in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
A security source in the area told Channels Television on Tuesday that the soldiers were attacked at an Army Forward Operational Base located around the Polwire area close to Mikati Farm along Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road.
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Birnin-Gwari is one of the hotspots of banditry in Kaduna, where many people were killed, thousands were kidnapped, and socioeconomic activities were disrupted in the past five years.
Military sources told the publication that the bandits came on motorcycles and carrying heavy weapons including Rocket-Propelled Frenade (RPG).
One of the sources explained that the soldiers, who were few in number, were taken unaware by the terrorists who stormed the base in large numbers on motorcycles with sophisticated weapons and immediately opened fire on the soldiers.
The fight was said to have lasted for about two hours before the soldiers were dislodged.
The military source stated;
We lost about 10 men while 19 soldiers were wounded in action, after they overwhelmed the troops. They also burnt down three armoured personel carriers (APC) after they overwhelmed the troops.
The gunmen were also said to have carted away with several weapons from the troops.
According to the source, the bandits monitored the movement of the soldiers and when some of them went out to the headquarters of the Forward Operational Base located inside Birnin-Gwari town, they immediately launched an attack on the few soldiers at the FOB extension.
Wounded soldiers were evacuated to Birnin Gwari General Hospital and 271 Nigerian Airforce Medical Center while those who were killed have been evacuated to 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Kaduna (44 NARHK) in Kaduna.
However, the military authorities have yet to confirm the attack.
In past recent months, there has been a series of attacks on Kaduna communities, including military bases.
In August 2021, gunmen attacked the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), killing two officers.
The attack on the military base comes days after gunmen attacked a train in Kaduna, which left several people dead and scores injured.
Monday’s attack also followed the abduction of 11 persons by bandits who attacked Angwar Maji community at Jere town in Kagarko Local Government Area of the state.
