Incident Summary:

01/21/2020: Assailants attacked a military position in Mainok, Borno, Nigeria. In addition to an unknown number of assailant casualties, seven soldiers were killed and five others were injured in the attack. Two other soldiers were reported missing. No group claimed responsibility for the incident; however, sources attributed the attack to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

GTD ID:
202001210019

When:
2020-01-21

Country:
Nigeria

Region:
Sub-Saharan Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Borno

City:
Mainok

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Military
Name of Entity Nigerian Army (NA)
Specific Description Soldiers
Nationality of Target Nigeria
Additional Information
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Unknown
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Automatic Weapon
Weapon Details
Assault rifles were used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) No
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) Yes
Alternate Designation (more) Insurgency/Guerilla Action
Additional Information Casualty numbers conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the majority reliable estimates are reported here.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Group Sub-name Claimed Responsibility
Boko Haram Al-Barnawi faction (Islamic State West Africa Province-ISWAP) No
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 7 Fatalities / 5 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 7
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities Unknown
Total Number of Injured 5
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured Unknown
Sources
"B'Haram: Army Officer, seven soldiers killed in Borno ambush," The Nation (Nigeria), January 23, 2020.
"Seven Nigerian troops killed in militant attack," Gulf Times, January 22, 2020.
"Again, Terrorists Kill Officer, Seven Soldiers In Borno," Nigerian Tribune, January 22, 2020.