17 killed in a terrorist attack in northeastern Nigeria

At least 17 people were killed in one of the towns in northeastern Nigeria during a terrorist attack.

According to witnesses and a local group involved in fighting extremist organizations, cited by Agence France-Presse, the town of Gwoza, in Borno State, remains under threat from terrorists entrenched in the surrounding mountains, despite the army’s presence since it was recaptured from Boko Haram in 2015.

Raqiya Ahmed (48) told Agence France-Presse: “My sister and I went to the forest early in the morning to collect firewood, and we fell into an ambush.”

According to Abba Kao Shehu, head of the local administration in Gwoza, the death toll from the attack reached 17.

However, Bala Hamid, a member of a local group fighting extremists, said he found 20 bodies.

Issa Bokar, a resident, stated that two of his brothers and his wife’s younger sister were killed. He added, “All I know is that I heard gunfire while we were on our way to clear our fields and collect firewood.”

These attacks come as Nigerian forces have announced carrying out several successful operations in recent days.

In recent months, Boko Haram and the Islamic State have intensified their attacks in the region, targeting military bases and villages and causing numerous civilian and military casualties.

According to the United Nations, more than 40,000 people have been killed and nearly two million displaced as a result of this ongoing conflict between the army and terrorist groups in the northeast of the country since 2009.

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Abuja for not making sufficient efforts to protect Christians, a view that experts say oversimplifies the situation in a country where civilians from different religious backgrounds are victims of violence.