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| 2018 Gajiram attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Boko Haram insurgency | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Nigeria |
 ISWAP | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 11 vehicles | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 45 killed | 10+ killed | ||||||
On June 18, 2018, ISWAP militants attacked a Nigerian base at Gajiram, Borno State, Nigeria, killing up to 45 soldiers.
Background
[edit]Boko Haram emerged in 2009 as a jihadist social and political movement in a failed rebellion in northeast Nigeria.[1] Throughout the following years, Abubakar Shekau unified militant Islamist groups in the region and continued to foment the rebellion against the Nigerian government, conducting terrorist attacks and bombings in cities and communities across the region.[2] On 7 March 2015, the group publicly declared allegiance to the Islamic State and became known as the Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP).[3]
ISWAP by late 2016 was relegated to an insurgency, but in late 2017 starting with the Magumeri ambush began attacking Nigerian army bases in rural areas of Borno State. In February 2018, the group attacked Gajiram and killed seven Nigerian soldiers, with three jihadists dying in the confrontation.[4]
Attack
[edit]At about 5:40pm on June 18, ISWAP fighters attacked the base at Gajiram with eleven vehicles.[5] The spokesman for the Borno police, Edet Okon, said that the attack was repelled by Nigerian soldiers and policemen.[5][6] Okon claimed that there were no casualties among Nigerian police, although did not give a casualty toll for the military.[6] AFP said that nine soldiers were killed, and that Gajiram residents saw the bodies of ten jihadists be loaded into pick-up trucks, although exact death tolls are not known.[7] In September 2018, Reuters published a report saying that 45 soldiers and policemen were killed at Gajiram, and the soldiers at the camp were fatigued and ill-equipped.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ Walker, Andrew (4 February 2016). "Join us or die: the birth of Boko Haram". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ↑ "Nigeria unrest: 'Boko Haram' gunmen kill 44 at mosque". BBC News. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ↑ Porter, Geoff (19 March 2015). "A Biography of Boko Haram and the Bay'a to al-Baghdadi". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Nigeria: sept soldats tués dans une embuscade de Boko Haram". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- 1 2 Haruna, Abdulkareem (June 20, 2018). "Boko Haram attacks Borno town in 11 gun trucks". Premium Times. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- 1 2 vanguard (2018-06-19). "Borno police command confirms Boko Haram attacks". Vanguard News. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Au moins neuf soldats tués dans une attaque de Boko Haram au Nigeria". Voice of America (in French). 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Carsten, Paul (2018-09-19). "Nigerian military struggles against Islamic State in West Africa: sources". Reuters. Retrieved 2026-10-06.