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| The attackers targeted the convoy in this volatile region, far from the traditional strongholds of Boko Haram and ISWAP in the northeast of the country. |
A deadly ambush by suspected jihadists against a military convoy on a road in Kebbi State, in northwestern Nigeria, left at least 11 dead, including nine soldiers, a police officer, and a civilian, according to local sources and officials on Wednesday.
The attackers, allegedly members of the Lakurawa group, linked to the Islamic State, targeted the convoy in this volatile region, far from the traditional strongholds of Boko Haram and ISWAP in the northeast of the country.
The governor of Kebbi State, Nasir Idris, visited the survivors at Birnin Kebbi Federal University Hospital, where he called the attack “barbaric” and deplorable. He confirmed the attack after touring the emergency room and the morgue, but did not release the death toll.
Lakurawa, a relatively new jihadist faction that operates along Nigeria's northwestern borders with Niger and Mali, has been increasingly singled out as responsible for attacks in Kebbi and the neighboring state of Sokoto in recent months.