None of the Islamist armed groups operating in the Sahel and Nigeria claimed responsibility for the action, but the military spokesman said there was little doubt that the perpetrators were members of Boko Haram, loyal to the Al Qaeda network, or one of its offshoots, affiliated with the Islamic State.

Boko Haram has its headquarters in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, but extends its actions to neighboring countries whose armies cooperate with Nigeria in the fight against this group.

The report highlights the modern weaponry of the Islamist rebels, which suggests that it is allied with ‘powerful transnational criminal entities’.

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