Nigerian army says 19 bandits killed in Kano clash, troops among dead

Nigeria's military on Tuesday said 19 armed bandits were killed in a firefight in Kano state, marking a rare outbreak of violence in the northwestern commercial hub.



Army spokesman Babatunde Zubairu said in a statement that two soldiers and a local vigilante also died in the operation.



The clash occurred in Shanono, where troops backed by other security agencies raided a bandit hideout, the army said.



The operation is part of a broader military campaign to curb escalating insecurity across northern Nigeria, where armed groups have killed and kidnapped thousands in recent years.



Separately, Nigerian and Nigerien forces repelled an attack by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on a military base in northeast Nigeria early on Tuesday, killing at least six insurgents. Follow-up airstrikes killed more fighters, the army said.