Deadly Insurgent Attacks in Northwestern Nigeria

At least 34 people were killed on Tuesday during coordinated attacks by suspected Lakurawa Islamist militants targeting multiple rural villages in Nigeria's northwestern Kebbi state, according to a security report reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.

Lakurawa, a newly-emerged insurgent group, primarily operates in Kebbi and Sokoto states in northern Nigeria. This region previously witnessed U.S. strikes against Islamic State-linked militants last December. The recent attacks echoed previous Lakurawa raids characterized by simultaneous village strikes designed to overwhelm local defenses and force residents to flee, as reported.

Reports indicate that the attackers swept through remote border districts, opening fire in a manner survivors described as systematic and indiscriminate. The fatalities included 16 in Mamunu, five in Awashaka, three in Masama, and two each in five other villages. In response, security forces have been deployed to safeguard communities, assist survivors, and obstruct the militants' escape routes, with ongoing tracking operations.