By Camillus Eboh
ABUJA (Reuters) -Nigerian troops killed eight fighters, including senior commanders, from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during an ambush along a key supply route in the northeast, the military said on Tuesday.
The clash occurred early on Monday near Garin Giwa on the Baga-Cross Kauwa road in Borno state, an area frequently targeted by insurgents aiming to disrupt military operations.
ISWAP fighters attempted to ambush a patrol and troops were able to repel the attackers, the army said in a statement.
Among those killed were ISWAP senior field commander Abu Aisha, Qaid of Tumbun Mota, and two mid-level commanders, known as Munzirs. Several other militants fled with gunshot wounds, according to the statement.
Militants from Boko Haram and its splinter group ISWAP have caused thousands of deaths, widespread displacement and a deepening humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria during their attacks on security forces and civilians.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja; writing by Elisha Bala-GbogboEditing by Gareth Jones)
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