Abuja, April 6 ( /Sputnik) An armed group with suspected links to Boko Haram (terrorist group affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist organization) has attacked a military base in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna, leaving 17 soldiers dead and 40 others injured, the Vanguard newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing sources. “Forty wounded soldiers were brought in to the 44 Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna, where 17 of them were confirmed dead,” the source was quoted as saying. Another local source was cited as saying that the attack killed three civilians in addition to the soldiers. The attack took place on Monday, as a “large number of” militants on motorbikes were driving along their normal route from the Nigerian state of Niger to Zamfara when they launched an assault on the military base in the m cipality of Birnin Gwari in Kaduna. The clash has continued for several hours, but the terrorists were well armed and outnumbered the soldiers, according to the report. The attackers burnt down three armored vehicles, and took away arms and other properties belonging to the military, according to the report. /SPUTNIK MYK