Nigeria's military has said it had killed 50 militants using drones to carry out multiple attacks on army bases in the volatile northeast.
In the early hours of Thursday, troops aided by fighter jets engaged insurgents who had launched coordinated attacks on bases in the towns of Dikwa, Mafa, and Gajibo in Borno state, as well as in Katarko in neighbouring Yobe state, a military spokesperson said in a statement.
The military did not say which faction was behind the attacks, but intelligence sources said that terrorists from the Daesh splinter group were responsible.
"The combined ground and air efforts resulted in the neutralisation of over 50 terrorists across all the locations," said Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, a military spokesperson in the northwest, in a statement.
He said several soldiers were wounded in the fighting, without giving numbers.
"Some vehicles and buildings were also gutted by fire from the terrorists' armed drones and RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) fire during the battle, especially in Mafa and Dikwa, where a part of the defences were momentarily breached," he said.
Armed insurgents are increasingly using drones, often commercial models modified to drop bombs or grenades.
A resident in Mafa showed AFP videos and pictures from the area showing the charred carcasses of several trucks and said the militants had set them ablaze during the attack.
Mafa locals said the trucks were mostly laden with cement, heading to Chad, whose drivers had parked for the night for fear of militant attacks on the highway.
The authorities in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and one of its powerhouses, have been fighting the Boko Haram terror group and its splinter Daesh group for 16 years.
The conflict in northeastern Nigeria has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million.
It has spilled over into neighbouring countries, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to combat militants.
