An intelligence source said that the Nigerian troops have remained vigilant and combat-ready having got information on the movements of terrorists in some villages.
The Nigerian military has imposed a curfew in Askira Uba and its environs in Borno State as troops repelled another attack in the axis.
According to PRNigeria, ISWAP fighters on Monday launched an attack on Dille which was swiftly repelled by the combined efforts of Air Taskforce and ground troops.
Dille is a village in Lassa under Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
An intelligence source said that the Nigerian troops have remained vigilant and combat-ready having got information on the movements of terrorists in some villages.
“We got intelligence that ISWAP Fighters were moving towards a bridge East of Wamdeo and Roumirgou villages in Askira Uba Province.
“We repelled their attempt today at a remote village called Dille under Lassa, We are not taking chances as we are in combat-ready to deal with them,” the source said.
This is coming a few days after ISWAP fighters engaged the troops at a military base in Askira in a gun battle.
SaharaReporters had reported that some civilians said they sighted the terrorists in a long convoy of gun trucks along Ngude axis towards Askira.
The civilians added that they reported the movement of the terrorists to security forces but no action was taken before the deadly group stormed Askira town hours later.
Hours after the incident, Director, Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu in a statement said a Brigadier General and three other soldiers were killed.
While he identified the slain senior officer as Dzarma Zirkusu, the army spokesperson was silent on the identities of the junior officers killed.
However, ISWAP in a statement released on Sunday night claimed 17 soldiers were killed.
According to the group, 13 soldiers were killed when its fighters attacked troops at a military base in Askira town while four others including Brigadier General Zirkus were killed during an ambush at Bulguma, a few kilometres from Askira.
ISWAP added that it razed down the army camp, a four-wheel vehicle and another armored vehicle parked inside the base.
The militants also said another vehicle, a tank, different weapons, and ammunition were captured during the incident.