A military source said troops of Operation Lafiya Dole stationed at super camp in the community with a combat aircraft of the Nigeria Air Force however repelled the attack.
Militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, on Thursday night again attacked Damasak in Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno state.
SaharaReporters gathered that some residential houses, shops, cars and other properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by the gunmen during the attack.
A military source said troops of Operation Lafiya Dole stationed at super camp in the community with a combat aircraft of the Nigeria Air Force however repelled the attack.
He said the soldiers killed some of the insurgents with gun trucks and other weapons recovered.
The attack comes barely three days the terrorists took over the military base in the community.
Sources told SaharaReporters that the gunmen stormed the community, shooting in all directions before ramming an explosives-laden pick-up truck into the military base.
A resident said the terrorists came in different groups and could not be counted.
He added that some Nigerian soldiers were killed while others fled into the bush.
“They came, hundreds of them, with guns, trucks and grenades and started firing from different directions. The soldiers ran away and left us on our own. They didn’t shoot at them (insurgents) at all. Though, some soldiers were killed but I can’t say how many,” he told SaharaReporters.
It was learnt that the insurgents also set ablaze a Nigerian army tanker and some buildings in the military base.
Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have killed thousands and displaced millions in North-Eastern Nigeria.
The Nigerian military has repeatedly claimed that the insurgency has been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses.
Recently, soldiers have been targeted by the insurgents.
Hundreds of soldiers and officers have been reportedly killed since January 2021.
At least 33 soldiers were recently killed when two vehicles loaded with explosives rammed into a military convoy in Wulgo.
The suicide bombers were identified as Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Bana Jundullah. The group also claimed four military vehicles were destroyed.
In February, about 20 soldiers were also killed in Malari, Borno State by the insurgents.
SaharaReporters gathered that the soldiers were on patrol to clear some Boko Haram elements in the area following a credible intelligence when they were ambushed by the group.