ABUJA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Five soldiers and one police officer were killed when troops were ambushed by militants in northwestern Nigeria on Monday, the military said on Tuesday.
Troops traveling to respond to an attack on a village in Zamfara State were themselves attacked, the military said. It was not clear which group carried out the attack.
Armed gangs of men, known locally as bandits, have killed and kidnapped hundreds across northwest Nigeria over the past years, typically operating from remote forests. The country's thinly stretched armed forces have struggled to secure the isolated regions.
The military said it arrested three suspects and killed four militants following a raid on some communities in Zamfara between January 17 and January 19.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
