Balagallaye ambush

Balagallaye ambush
Part of Boko Haram insurgency
DateJuly 13, 2018
Location
Near Balagallaye, Borno State, Nigeria
Result JAS victory
Belligerents
Nigeria Jama'atu Ahlus Sunna
Strength
11 vehicles ~100 fighters
Casualties and losses
23 killed or missing Unknown

On July 13, 2018, Jama'atu Ahlus Sunna (JAS) ambushed Nigerian troops near the village of Balagallaye, Borno State, Nigeria, killing 23 soldiers.

Background

Boko Haram emerged in 2009 as a jihadist social and political movement in a failed rebellion in northeast Nigeria. Throughout the following years, Abubakar Shekau unified militant Islamist groups in the region and continued to foment the rebellion against the Nigerian government, conducting terrorist attacks and bombings in cities and communities across the region. On 7 March 2015, the group publicly declared allegiance to the Islamic State and became known as the Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP).

ISWAP by late 2016 was relegated to an insurgency, but in late 2017 starting with the Magumeri ambush began attacking Nigerian army bases in rural areas of Borno State. In June 2018, the group attacked Gajiram and killed 45 Nigerian soldiers and civilians. Balagallaye in particular is close to the Sambisa Forest, a hub of JAS activity led by Abubakar Shekau.

Ambush

On July 13, Nigerian soldiers were alerted to a gathering of around 100 jihadists near Boboshe, not far from the Sambisa forest. A group of soldiers in eleven vehicles headed out to confront them, but the vehicles got bogged in the mud as it was the middle of the rainy season. While stuck near the village of Balagallaye, the JAS fighters ambushed the soldiers. Initial reports by Nigerian officials said that 23 soldiers were missing in the ambush. Five of the victims were officers. Only three of the eleven vehicles returned to Bama. Another source close to pro-government militias said that several dozen soldiers were killed. The militia source said that it was not known how many were entirely killed, captured, or fled into the bush.

By mid-August 2018, the soldiers were still missing.

References

  1. ↑ Walker, Andrew (4 February 2016). "Join us or die: the birth of Boko Haram". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  2. ↑ "Nigeria unrest: 'Boko Haram' gunmen kill 44 at mosque". BBC News. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  3. ↑ Porter, Geoff (19 March 2015). "A Biography of Boko Haram and the Bay'a to al-Baghdadi". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Nigeria: sept soldats tués dans une embuscade de Boko Haram". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 24 February 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Nigeria: 23 soldats portés disparus à la suite d'une embuscade de Boko Haram". France 24 (in French). 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  6. ↑ "Boko Haram attaque une base militaire dans le nord-est du Nigeria". Voice of America (in French). 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "23 soldats nigérians portés disparus après une attaque de Boko Haram". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2026-10-12.