KANO, Nigeria, June 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Jihadists killed eight soldiers in two separate attacks on military bases in northeast Nigeria, the military and security sources said on Friday.

The raids on Wednesday and Friday were the first since the killing of a senior commander of the Islamic State group in the region on May 16.

Northeast Nigeria has been gripped by an Islamist insurgency since 2009, started by Boko Haram and joined by its rival offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

US and Nigerian forces on May 16 killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, an IS second-in-command described as the "most active terrorist" in the world, at a remote village in the northeast of Africa's most populous country.

Intelligence sources expressed their concern to AFP shortly after Al-Minuki's death about a possible uptick in ISWAP attacks on military bases to avenge his killing.

Five troops were killed in a raid on a base in Mandaragirau at around 3:00 am (0400 GMT) on Friday, some 212 kilometres (130 miles) from the post attacked on Wednesday.

Nigerian military spokesman Haruna Sani said three members of militias fighting the jihadists were also killed in the attack, with the Islamist fighters exploiting "adverse weather conditions and poor visibility".

"Determined troops responded with a fierce counter-offensive, decisively frustrating further incursions and inflicting casualties on the attackers," Sani said in a statement on Friday.

Two days earlier late on Wednesday, fighters from ISWAP stormed a base in the town of Gajiganna, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Borno state capital Maiduguri, dislodging soldiers after an intense gun fight, local and intelligence sources said.

"Three soldiers were killed in the attack by ISWAP terrorists who carted away weapons and burnt down the base," said Ibrahim Liman, a member of an anti-jihadist militia assisting the military.

An intelligence source in the region gave the same toll and confirmed the base was "completely razed" by the jihadist fighters after troops were forced to withdraw.

A military spokesman told AFP they would look into the incident.

A resident of Gajiganna, who only gave his first name, Modu, said the fighters moved round the town, firing shots in the air before they withdrew, causing panic among residents.

The United States has deployed troops to aid in training and intelligence to help Nigeria fight jihadists.

Tens of thousands have been killed and more than two million displaced in the 17-year jihadist violence in the northeast.

The conflict has spilt into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the four countries to raise a joint military operation to fight the militant groups.

However, the military coalition lost steam after the withdrawal of Niger following its 2023 military coup.