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Terrorists from the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) group, an offshoot of Boko Haram, invaded the city of Dikwa tonight and simultaneously attacked a military camp and a UN base, an army official and a humanitarian source told AFP. on condition of anonymity.
The jihadists “are trying to enter a bunker where 25 humanitarian workers have taken refuge,” humanitarian and security sources said. “The humanitarian base was set on fire by the fighters, but so far no employees have been reached,” said a humanitarian source who requested anonymity.
To repel the jihadists, military reinforcements were sent from the city of Mars, 40 kilometers away, to Dikwa, a humanitarian source said. “Two fighters and a combat helicopter provide air support to repel the jihadists and remove them from the humanitarian base,” the source said.
Three years ago, on March 1, 2018, ISWAP terrorists in a similar action attacked a UN humanitarian center in the city of Rann, killing three humanitarian workers and kidnapping a female worker. ISWAP, affiliated with ISIS, split from Boko Haram in 2016 and has since become the biggest jihadist threat in Nigeria. On Friday, ISWAP fighters in trucks equipped with machine guns stormed Dikwa, prompting residents to flee. The city, 90 kilometers from the state capital of Borno Maiduguri, is home to more than 130,000 people, including 75,000 who had already fled other parts of the region and were living in camps where they depend on emergency aid from humanitarian agencies.
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