107 Troops Still Missing After Boko Haram Destroys Nigerian Military Base

Most Troops Fled Before Base Was Sacked

Mounting losses in the area around the northeastern Nigerian town of Gulak came to a head Sunday, with Boko Haram fighters forcing their way into the town and burning the military base therein to the ground.

Reinforcements arrived and chased the Boko Haram fighters back, and the exact details of the loss of the base are still a matter of no small speculation, with the Nigerian military denying any troops had fled, but locals reporting that they’d virtually abandoned Gulak to local fighters before Boko Haram even arrived.

Either way, military intelligence confirmed that at least 107 Nigerian soldiers remain missing from one of the earlier battles in the area, and Boko Haram made off with a bunch of equipment, including a T-72 tank.

Officials, the Nigerian military also denies that there were any soldiers missing at all, but officials reporting to the media off the record confirmed the report, and say that well over a week after the battles began, they have no idea what happened to all those troops.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.