Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters attacked a Nigerian Army convoy using two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs). The attackers rammed the explosives-laden vehicles into the convoy, killing dozens of soldiers.
9 Mar 2021 · Bukarti, Ngala, Borno
Deaths
30
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
30
Perpetrators
ISWAP
Response
The Nigerian Army did not immediately confirm the casualty figures, consistent with a pattern of downplaying losses.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
ISWAP increasingly used VBIEDs to inflict mass casualties on military convoys, compensating for territorial losses.
Trajectory
ISWAP increasingly used VBIEDs to inflict mass casualties on military convoys, compensating for territorial losses.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier insurgent attacks including 23 March 2020 – Goneri (the Gorge) ambush involving explosive-laden military vehicles, 07 January 2020 – Monguno attack featuring vehicle-borne detonation during an assault, 17 January 2021 – Gorgi multi-IED field ambush targeting armored convoy, 09 January 2021 – Gazagana convoy ambush using heavy weapons and surprise, and 26 January 2025 – Malam Fatori VBIED strike on advancing troops in the Timbuktu Triangle, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Islamic State West Africa Province employs vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) as a high-impact tactic against military convoys—particularly during movement or offensive operations—to inflict mass casualties, disrupt operational momentum, and compensate for reduced territorial control through asymmetric but highly lethal engagements.
Pattern
Military Ambush
Related — Bombing/IED
A metal scavenger unknowingly collected an undetonated IED among scrap metal and stored it in a building near a Tsangaya (Qur’anic) school. The device exploded, killing four Almajiri pupils and two adults. The explosion also caused severe bodily harm to others
Two young girls, estimated by witnesses to be between seven and eight years old, arrived in a rickshaw. A local militia member, Abdulkarim Jabo, attempted to speak with one of them, but she did not respond. One of the girls then walked toward the poultry sellers and detonated her explosives belt. A second explosion occurred shortly afterward as onlookers rushed to help the victims of the first blast. Among those injured were soldiers guarding a nearby electric power installation. The attack showed all the signs of being orchestrated by Boko Haram, which has frequently used women and young girls to carry out suicide attacks.
Two male suicide bombers arrived at the Kano Line bus station after taking a bus from the town of Wuddil, approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Kano . The bombers detonated explosives concealed under their clothes shortly after disembarking from the bus . The explosions triggered fires that destroyed two buses and a car