Nigerian soldiers lash out in video after bloody Boko Haram attack

Nigerian troops fighting on the frontline of the Boko Haram conflict have released a video claiming dozens had died in a recent attack and deploring the poor state of their equipment .In the five – minute video seen by AFP on Saturday , a soldier narrating in the background shows the burnt shells of several tanks and vehicles in the Metele base , which was attacked by the IS -affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province on November 18 .

At least 43 soldiers were killed in the attack according to military and civilian sources , though the army disputes the death toll .

The release of the video underscores growing desperation among troops , who in June protested being redeployed to a battlefront in the remote Lake Chad region after fighting Boko Haram jihadists for years without relief.
“ No less than 100 plus soldiers died here . Many are missing in action , they are nowhere to be found , ” said the soldier in the video, which was obtained by AFP from a military source who confirmed its authenticity.

“ See the weapons they bring here . These are not working , ” he said as the footage revealed the charred remains of tanks and other military equipment .

“ These are outdated vehicles , they are not working . They just keep them here for formality , ” said the soldier .

“ Imagine , they are killing us every day , ” he said . “ The situation is getting worse . ”

The video shows the sprawling camp in the middle of the desert , 260 kilometres ( 161 miles) from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri .

There was no immediate response from the army on the release of the video.

More than 27 , 000 people are thought to have been killed in the nine -year Islamist insurgency that has triggered a humanitarian crisis and left 1 . 8 million people without homes .

– Hardline takeover –

The video, the first public glimpse of the base since it was attacked , shows piles of blackened zinc sheets that were the living quarters of the troops .

Personal effects and cooking pots lay scattered across the ground as soldiers move around the debris under a bright blue sky.

On Monday , ISWAP said it had killed “ more than 40 Nigerian soldiers ” in Metele and carted away “ four tanks ” along with other vehicles and ammunition .

On Friday , the jihadist group claimed that its fighters killed 118 Nigerian soldiers in five attacks on military bases across the northeast in the past week .

The Nigerian military broke its silence late Friday evening to confirm that the Metele base had been attacked .

It said in a statement that while it is “ true ” there was an attack , it observed that “ several social media , print and online publications have been brandishing false casualty figures . ”

AFP has reported at least 17 attempts to overrun army bases since July .

Many have been claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province .

The attacks have been seen as a sign of a hardline takeover in the faction by more radical commanders and have stretched the army at a time when soldiers are complaining of fatigue .

Security analysts said more attacks were expected in the run – up to February 16 , when Nigerians go to the polls to elect a new president and parliament .

( AFP)

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