LAGOS
At least nine Nigerian soldiers were shot dead Thursday by Boko Haram militants in the northeastern Adamawa state.
"The remains of nine soldiers shot dead have been deposited at the Federal Medical Center Yola," Marina Ularamu, local government chairman of Madagali area, told Anadolu Agency over phone on Friday.
"Some others were injured too and are being treated there."
The soldiers, from the 23 Brigade in Yola, capital city of Adamawa, had been deployed to check militant activities in Izhe border village in the area.
"The soldiers were going to repel a planned attack at Izhe border village when they were ambushed by the heavily armed insurgents," Ularamu said.
"Most villagers at the border areas have since fled to Madagali, the administrative headquarters for fear of possible attacks."
Ularamu called on the Nigerian government to deploy more troops and armors to help repel Boko Haram attacks.
"These Boko Haram insurgents have more sophisticated weapons than the soldiers. They have anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons mounted on their vehicles," he said.
The Nigerian military is yet to comment on the ambush.
But a soldier, who sought anonymity, confirmed the Boko Haram ambush.
"Truth is that more concerted efforts are required to defeat these terrorists. They seem far more sophisticated than earlier thought," the soldier told AA.
"Nine of our colleagues died in the ambush in Izhe on Thursday though several insurgents were equally killed," he added.
The ambush came two days after gunmen believed to be Boko Haram militants killed more than 40 people, razed several houses, including a mosque, and reportedly kidnapped 20 teenage girls during in Konduga village in the northeastern Borno state.
Boko Haram, a hitherto peaceful organization that had preached against corruption, suddenly turned violent in 2009 following the murder of group leader Mohamed Yusuf while in police custody.
In the years since, the group has been blamed for thousands of terrorist acts, including attacks on churches and security posts across Nigeria's northern region, especially the three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
Although it claims to want an Islamist government in the region, Nigerian Muslims – most of whom reject Boko Haram as un-Islamic – have also been targeted by the militant group.
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