Boko Haram attacks, burns Nigerian army base

April 7 (UPI) -- Boko Haram insurgents attacked a Nigerian army convoy and burned its military base, soldiers and witnesses said.

The base, in Wajirko village in northeastern Borno state, was burned and looted on Thursday after members of Boko Harm, the anti-government group with Islamic State ties, attacked a military convoy. Five soldiers were injured and were missing after the attack, a soldier said.

Soldiers fled the burning military base, 90 miles from the city of Maiduguri, a resident of Wajiriko told the Naij news agency. He added that gunmen arrived at the base in pickup trucks, and engaged in heavy gunfire before they burned the installation. The resident noted, though, that only soldiers and not villagers were attacked.

Mustapha Karimbe, a member of a local citizens' vigilante group which is aiding in the fight against Boko Haram, said the soldiers at the base moved to another base about 40 miles away.

"There were no reports of casualties from either side, but the base was completely burned by the Boko Haram terrorists, and the soldiers fled," Karimbe said.