At least nine Nigerian soldiers were killed, and more than a dozen remain missing following a deadly ambush by fighters aligned with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in northeast Borno State.

The attack took place on Friday when ISWAP militants targeted a foot patrol of more than 30 troops near the town of Damask, close to the border with Niger. The jihadists detonated a pre-planted explosive device on the road, followed by intense gunfire, sources said.

Local media organisations reported that a military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the troops — positioned about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from their base — scattered under sustained fire. “We lost nine soldiers in the ambush by ISWAP terrorists, and many others are still missing,” the officer said.

Eight soldiers eventually made it back to base, but the remainder, including a commanding officer ranked as a major, are unaccounted for. The officer noted that a person identifying as an ISWAP fighter has been answering calls to the commander’s mobile phone, raising concerns that he may be in militant custody. He added that a military search team recovered the bodies of the nine slain soldiers from the attack site.

The Nigerian military has not issued an official comment on the incident.

The ambush underscores the persistent security challenges in Nigeria’s northeast, where ISWAP and other jihadist groups continue to target military patrols and convoys despite ongoing counter-insurgency operations. The region remains one of the country’s most conflict-affected areas, with militants exploiting remote terrain and border vulnerabilities to launch attacks.