Nigerian troops clear more terrorist camps in Borno State: spokesman

Nigerian troops on Friday entered and cleared more terrorists camps in the northeastern state of Borno as offensive operations against Boko Haram continued in the region, a spokesman of the local army said.

Quite a number of terrorists were killed during the operation in which weapons and equipment were also destroyed as troops combed Gudumbali town located in Kukawa district of the restive Borno State on Friday, Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman, the acting spokesman for the Nigerian army told Xinhua.

The army spokesman said success of the operation was possible following the heavy damage inflicted on the terrorists' camps early this week by the Nigerian air force. The air force had intensified aerial bombardment of the terror group's camps since last Monday, to force the terrorists out of their hideouts.

He said the Nigerian troops are still pursuing the terrorists to their enclaves in Sambisa Forest, one of the largest training bases of Boko Haram in Borno State. The ongoing operation to rout out terrorists from their hideouts is code-named "Lafiya Dole", a phrase that means "peace is necessary" when translated to English from the local Hausa language.

Early this week, the Nigerian army said it killed a number of Boko Haram militants in an operation near the Sambisa Forest as troops engaged the militants in gun battles in Gwoza town after aerial bombardments by the air force.

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 13,000 dead in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. Endit