Photo taken in 2013 of a Nigerian soldier.
Nigeria -
Sunday Alamba / AP / SIPA
Eleven members of the security forces, including four soldiers, were killed on Tuesday in two attacks attributed to the jihadist group Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria.
A convoy of local hunters recruited by the army in the fight against the jihadists exploded on a mine in the village of Kayamla, located 10 kilometers from Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, epicenter of the jihadist insurgency in the northeast.
"Seven hunters died in the explosion and nine others were seriously injured," said the head of a pro-government anti-jihadist militia, Babakura Kolo.
“Their vehicle exploded on a mine while they were chasing elements of Boko Haram” who had stolen a herd of oxen, he added.
The toll of the attack was confirmed by another militiaman from a self-defense group, Umar Ari.
An upsurge in attacks
For the past two years, authorities have recruited local hunters to assist the military in its fight against Boko Haram and its rival faction, the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) group in northeastern Nigeria.
On Monday, four Nigerian soldiers were also killed in an explosion caused by the passage of their vehicle over a mine near the village of Logomani, near the Cameroonian border.
There has been a sharp upsurge in attacks since the start of December in northeast Nigeria.
Over Christmas weekend dozens of woodcutters were kidnapped near Gamboru, eleven people were killed near Chibok, and a pastor was kidnapped while preparing for the celebrations.
Boko Haram and the Islamic State group in West Africa, both very active in the Lake Chad region, have killed at least 36,000 since the start of the insurgency in 2009. Two million people still cannot return to their homes because of the violence.
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Jihadism
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Nigeria