At least 12 Nigerian soldiers were killed and dozens of others are missing after fighting with Islamists in the northeastern state of Borno, three military sources said on Sunday, one of the largest known losses of life by the army in the last month.
The army said it repelled the attack in which it said one soldier was killed and another injured.
The fighting followed an attack on Friday by insurgents in Gudumbali local government area — a part of Borno where Boko Haram breakaway group Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) is influential. The sources said the poor communication network in the remote area delayed details of the attack being relayed.