Nigeria’s president has finally broken his silence about the deaths of dozens of soldiers killed by Islamist militants a week ago in the northeastern state of Borno. 

President Muhammadu Buhari’s office issued a statement Saturday, saying that he had “expressed deep shock over the killing of military personnel.”

“Immediate measures are being taken to ensure that the loopholes which led to the fatalities are blocked once and for all,” according to the statement.

The president said he will meet with military and intelligence chiefs “in the coming days” to plan their “next steps.”

At least 40 soldiers were reported to have been killed Nov. 18 at a military base in the village of Metele.

Security sources, however, told Reuters that around 100 Nigerian soldiers were killed in the attack that they say was carried out by the Islamic State in West Africa.

The Nigerian Army did not acknowledge the attack until Friday and has not provided information about casualties.
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