In a fresh incident, terrorists, yesterday, attacked a military camp at Poll Wire, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing about 15 soldiers and three civilians.
The attack occurred one week after a commercial train was bombed in Kaduna, killing passengers, with several other passengers yet to be accounted for.
The terrorists, who were said to be traveling from Niger State to Zamfara in large numbers via Birnin Gwari, reportedly launched a deadly attack on the military camp.
Local sources in Birnin Gwari, who confirmed the incident in a telephone chat, said the attack occurred at about 5pm on Monday, and that the terrorists, who were carrying sophisticated weapons, engaged the soldiers in a fierce gun battle at the camp.
The terrorists, who might have overpowered the soldiers due to their sheer numbers, were said to have burnt a military armoured tank at the camp.
“The attack took place at a military camp at Poll Wire at about 5pm on Monday. They were in large numbers. They took more than an hour passing through the Kaduna highway. They were on their way from Niger State to Zamfara state.
“They overpowered the soldiers after a fierce gun battle probably because of their large numbers and the kind of weapons they carried.
“I am not in a position to confirm how many soldiers were killed, but information available to me said that 15 soldiers and three civilians were killed. Two of the civilians are members of a vigilante group while one was a traveler.
“You can contact the military authorities to confirm the figures. The attack lasted for hours. These people were many and they have very sophisticated weapons. How do you expect maybe about 40 or 60 or even less soldiers manning a camp to face terrorists numbering about 100 or 200 and carrying deadly weapons?”
The spokesman at Defence Headquarters, Maj Gen Jimmy Akpor, confirmed the attack but said he was still awaiting further details.
