Nigeria, Sahel militants embrace DIY drone warfare


Under the cover of darkness, the jihadists moved into Wulgo, where the shores of Lake Chad meet the arid countryside of northern Nigeria.

Around 1:00 am, a “barrage” of rocket-propelled grenades was fired, sending Cameroonian troops, stationed there as part of an anti-jihadist coalition, into “disarray”, a security source told AFP. While the militants had disguised themselves in a nearby town as herders coming into the weekly market, they also might have had another advantage, according to an intelligence report seen by AFP: the use of armed drones. The Tuesday morning attack, which sources said killed 25 Cameroonian troops comes as armed groups in west Africa turn towards the use of cheap, recreational drones — modified into deadly, explosives-laden killers from above.

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Source: MSN News


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