NIGERIA-CHAD-CONFLICT

A Nigerian soldier from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) loads his machine gun during training at the MNJTF military base, Sector 3 Headquarters, in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025. Twelve checkpoints manned by the Nigerian army control the various entrances to Monguno. Monguno's huge fortifications have kept the garrison town mostly secure even as northeastern Nigeria has seen a recent surge in attacks on military bases by jihadists fighting a grinding 16 year war. Fighting in Borno may have eased since the conflict's highpoint in 2015 as jihadists have been forced back. But militants from Islamic State West Africa Province or rival Boko Haram have attacked or temporarily overrun a dozen military bases since the start of the year. (Photo by Joris Bolomey / AFP) (Photo by JORIS BOLOMEY/AFP via Getty Images)