Nigerian troops recapture more towns from Boko Haram insurgents

Nigerian troops combating terrorists in northeastern states on Friday captured four more towns from Boko Haram militants in Borbo State in a push to capture Sambisa forest.

Spokesperson for the Nigerian Army Col. Sani Usman said in a statement reaching Xinhua in Lagos that one soldier paid the supreme price while 10 others sustained various degrees of injury, during the encounter.

Scores of Boko Haram terrorists were equally killed and recoveries made, he added, noting that cordon, search and mopping up operations are still underway in the areas.

Nigerian troops have routed Boko Haram fighters from different towns and communities in northern Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in the last few weeks.

Boko Haram intensified its attacks in violence-wracked northeastern Nigeria just a few weeks before the country's rescheduled general election.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," controls some parts of northeastern states and says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its operations in 2009, which have left over 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million displaced. Endi