Nigerian soldiers were killed in an armed attack on a military base – Mehr news agency RCO News Agency

According to Mehr news agency, citing al-Araby al-Jadid, local sources announced that the night attack took place in Sabun Gari area in the remote state of Borno. Since 2009, the province has been the scene of the growth of violence by extremist elements, including Boko Haram and the West African branch of ISIS.

Ibrahim Liman, a member of the Civilian Joint Operations Team, which supports the Nigerian Army, said: “The number of victims reaches dozens and many bodies are still in the military base, while a large number of soldiers are missing.”

According to reports, 20 bodies, including 5 soldiers, 15 construction workers and local fishermen, were transferred to the general hospital of “Bio” city.

Local officials and hospital staff also reported the transfer of dead bodies and wounded from Sabun Gari.

The victims were on their way back to their base and were working on a flyover bridge that was destroyed in a previous attack last year.

The clashes come as nine more Nigerian soldiers were killed in an ISIS ambush near the Niger border last week.

The West African branch of ISIS, which split from Boko Haram in 2016, mainly targets Nigerian security forces, but civilians are also sometimes victims of its operations.