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Nigeria amry kills "a number of" Boko Haram militants in Borno state

Xinhua, August 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Nigerian army says it killed a number of Boko Haram militants in an operation near the Sambisa Forest in the northeastern state of Borno on Tuesday.

The troops engaged the militants in gun battles in Gwoza town after aerial bombardments by the air force, Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman, spokesman for the Nigerian army, told Xinhua.

The Sambisa Forest is said to be one of Boko Haram's largest training bases in the restive Borno state.

The spokesman didn't give the exact number of the militants killed, but said "the troops dealt decisive blow on terrorists in Gwoza".

Others militants fled in seven vans and some motorcycles mounted with weapons such as rocket propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns, he said, adding that large quantities of ammunition were recovered.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari last week ordered his newly-appointed army chiefs to end the six-year Boko Haram insurgency within three months.

The insurgency is said to have left more than 10,000 dead in Nigeria. Endit