Ambush in northwest Nigeria kills 5 soldiers and 1 police officer

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Five soldiers and one police officer have been killed in an ambush in northwest Nigeria, the Nigerian army said on Tuesday.

The attack occurred in Zamfara state on Monday, army spokesman David Adewusi said in a statement.

“Despite the surprise of the ambush, the troops responded gallantly, engaging the terrorists and preventing further harm to nearby communities,” he said. “Regrettably, five soldiers and one police officer paid the supreme sacrifice during the encounter.”

The ambush followed successful operations last week, where three suspects were arrested and weapons recovered, said the spokesman.

Northern Nigeria has been the hardest-hit part of the country, with a surge in kidnappings for ransom by gunmen across the northwest and north-central regions over the recent months, alongside an insurgency in the northeast.

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law.

The insurgency now includes an offshoot of the Islamic State group known as the Islamic State West Africa Province or ISWAP. It has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors, including Niger, killing about 35,000 civilians and displacing more than 2 million people, according to the United Nations.

Last month, the U.S. launched airstrikes in northern Nigeria, targeting IS, after allegations that the West African country failed to rein in attacks on Christians.