Boko Haram kills six soldiers as they ambush for troops in Borno State's Banki town

SIX Nigerian soldiers have been killed yesterday morning after they were ambushed by Boko Haram, terrorists in the Banki area of Borno State some 130km away from the state capital Maiduguri.

Since 2009, Boko Haram have been fighting a war with the Nigerian state as the terrorist sect seeks to establish a pure Islamic caliphate in the northeast of the country. Despite repeated claims from the Nigerian government that it has defeated Boko Haram, the sect is still able to mount sporadic attacks as it still controls significant territory in Borno State.

Yesterday morning, Boko Haram mounted a daring ambush in which it slaughtered six soldiers, believed to be members of the 151 Task Force Battalion. Those killed in the raid are thought to include two sergeants, two lance corporals and two privates.

One army source said: “We lost six soldiers to Boko Haram terrorists this morning. The guys came unexpectedly with sophisticated weapons."

Banki, which lies130km southeast of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. Apart from the original residents, the community also houses some 45,000 people displaced by the Boko Haram violence.

Boko Haram's insurgency in northern Nigeria has caused over 30,000 deaths and displaced millions of others, mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, according to the United Nations. Nigeria's military has been able to limit the activities of the terror group to the three north-eastern states but is unable to contain the sect's operations any further.