35 Troops killed 30 missing in Borno as jihadist ambush Military Convoy

Nigerian Army PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images

The death toll from a jihadist attack on a military convoy in northeast Nigeria has risen from 23 to 35, while 30 troops are still missing, security sources said Thursday.

Fighters linked to the so-called Islamic State group ambushed the convoy on Tuesday at Bulabulin village, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

Twenty-three soldiers were initially thought to have been killed in Tuesday’s attack, and many were listed as missing.

But security sources said more bodies had now been found in the nearby bush.

“We lost 35 soldiers from the ambush. Eighteen others were injured while 30 are still missing. Their fate is not known,” a security source told AFP.

“More bodies were recovered in the bush by rescue teams which led to a rise in the deaths,” he said.

Another source confirmed the new toll.

“Thirty-five bodies of troops were recovered as … search teams combed the area around the scene of the ambush. Another 30 have not been accounted for. It is not known whether they are dead or alive,” he said.

He said the jihadists torched a mine-resistant vehicle and carted away eight gun trucks, guns and communication equipment.