Boko Haram militants ambushed a civilian convoy of more than 100 vehicles traveling under military escort from Maiduguri to Damboa . The attackers opened fire with heavy guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The ambush killed nine soldiers and two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) militia . Several civilians were reported missing and are presumed killed or abducted.
27 Jun 2020 · Komala, Damboa, Borno
Deaths
11
Total casualties
11
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Ibrahim Liman, a regional militia leader, confirmed the death toll and noted that several civilians remained missing
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
To loot supplies and seize military-grade vehicles (4 vehicles were taken).
Trajectory
By mid-2020, Boko Haram increasingly targeted large civilian convoys under military escort using RPGs and heavy weapons as a low-cost way to inflict casualties, seize equipment, and disrupt supply lines to remote communities.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier attacks by Boko Haram including 22 April 2018 – Wumbi convoy landmine attack targeting civilians under military escort, 30 August 2019 – Gasarwa convoy ambush using RPGs and heavy weapons, 25 September 2019 – Gubio convoy ambush involving intense firefight and troop casualties, 09 February 2020 – Auno highway massacre targeting stranded travelers on a major route, and 23 March 2020 – Goneri (the Gorge) ambush causing secondary explosions and heavy military losses, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Boko Haram targets escorted civilian convoys with coordinated ambushes—using heavy weapons to overwhelm protection units, inflict casualties, seize vehicles and supplies, and disrupt critical movement corridors linking Maiduguri to vulnerable communities in southern Borno.
Pattern
Convoy Ambush
Sources
- https://www.globalsecurity.org--www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2020/06/mil-200628-presstv05.htm
- https://dailytrust.com/9-soldiers-16-others-killed-as-insurgents-ambush-military-convoy/
- https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/africa/Nine-Nigerian-soldiers-killed-in-jihadist-ambush-992671
Related — Ambush
A cell of the “Nigerian Taliban” (Al‑Sunna wal‑Jamma, a precursor to Boko Haram) ambushed a convoy of about 60 policemen near Kala‑Balge town, Borno State, close to the border with Chad. The police had been sent to pursue the militants following earlier clashes along the Cameroonian border. During the patrol, a police vehicle carrying munitions became stuck in deep mud; as the officers tried to free it, the militants opened fire, causing the vehicle to explode. Three officers were killed instantly and several others wounded. Twelve policemen were captured and taken hostage. According to two sources (the HEC Pakistan chronology and the “From Boko Haram to Ansaru” study), the 12 captives were subsequently executed, though their bodies were never recovered. A joint team of police, army and air force units with helicopters was deployed, and the militants were driven from the Limankara hills into the swampy Lake Chad plain.
Two young men were ambushed and dragged into the bush while traveling from Rafin-Kada to Wukari. Their bodies were later found shot dead. This sparked a massive protest by women and children who blocked major roads in Wukari town to demand government intervention against persistent insecurity on that route.
Suspected Boko Haram insurgents ambushed a wedding convoy on the Bama-Banki-Firgi highway in Borno State, near the Cameroon border, killing more than 30 people including the groom. The wedding party was returning to the state capital Maiduguri after the wedding Fatiha ceremony in Michika town, Adamawa State, when they ran into an ambush laid by the insurgents.