Storytimes Newspapers

 Jihadist fighters from Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), launched a coordinated overnight assault on a Nigerian Army base in Benisheikh, Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State, killing Brigadier-General O.O. (Oseni Omoh) Braimah, the Brigade Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade, along with several soldiers. Local government and intelligence sources told AFP and other media outlets that the attackers overran parts of the base, using explosives and heavy gunfire, torching military vehicles and inflicting significant casualties. The Kaga Local Government Chairman, Zannah Lawan Ajimi, confirmed to AFP that the brigade commander lost his life in the assault. Two intelligence sources also corroborated the death of Brig. Gen. Braimah.cad5dd Military sources indicated that at least 18 soldiers, including a captain and other senior staff, were killed, though exact figures remain unconfirmed as clearance operations continue. Some reports...

  According to statements from General Dagvin Anderson, commander of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), this marks the first official confirmation of American "boots on the ground" in Nigeria since U.S. airstrikes targeted Islamic State-linked militants in Sokoto State on Christmas Day 2025. The deployment follows an agreement between the U.S. and Nigerian governments to enhance collaboration, with the team providing technical support, intelligence sharing, and unique capabilities to augment Nigerian forces' operations. This limited presence is not for direct combat but aims to strengthen intelligence gathering, advisory roles, and coordination amid Nigeria's persistent security challenges. These include the long-running Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast (and its splinter groups like ISWAP), as well as banditry-driven violence—often involving kidnappings, massacres, and resource conflicts—in the northwest and north-central zones. The move comes against the backdr...