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On January 18, fighters of the ISIS-affiliated terrorist group Boko Haram attacked several positions of the Nigerian Army in the village of Toumour in the southeastern region of Diffa, according to the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq.
Amaq claimed that ISIS fighters killed 25 Nigerian soldiers and captured four vehicles armed with 12,5mm guns, a vehicle armed with a 14.5mm gun and two infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).
The ISIS-linked news agency usually report the attacks that were conducted by the Abu-Musab al-Barnawi branch of Boko Haram. This indicates that Abu-Musab al-Barnawi branch has expanded its operations into the southeastern part of the country. This group had been mainly active in the northeastern part of the country since 2014.
A local police source told Reuters that Boko Haram fighters entered the village of Toumour on vehicles that were painted in the colors of the Nigerian Army. Facing the surprise attack, the Nigerian soldiers withdrew from their positions around the village. However, hours later the Nigerian Army supported by the Nigerian Air Force was able to recapture all the positions it had lost around Toumour, according to the source.
Reuters reported that only four soldiers of the Nigerian Army were killed and eight others were injured by ISIS in Toumour. The source added that a single civilian was also killed in the clashes in the village.
