At least 40 troops from a multinational force were killed as the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (Iswap), or more commonly known as Boko Haram, destroyed a convoy of the African Coalition Crusader forces in Malam Fatori in northeast Nigeria.
The group claimed responsibility for the attack and Associated Press reported that it posted a communiqué to this effect on social media.
The communiqué does not reveal when the convoy was attacked but it claimed it “resulted in killing more than 40 and wounding dozens” of troops. The claim could not be independently verified and there has been no official word from the Nigerian military either.
The task force in Nigeria consists of 8,700 personnel that include troops from neighbouring Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin. The coalition is spearheading the ongoing regional offensive against Boko Haram.