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Nigerian army recaptures strategic town from Boko Haram

Xinhua, September 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Nigerian army says it has recaptured the strategic town of Banki in the northeast from Boko Haram militants.

Army spokesperson Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement several militants were killed and several others captured alive.

Seven Boko Haram camps were destroyed and more than a dozen improvised explosive devices found in and near the town detonated in controlled explosions, he added.

Nigeria's air force and the Cameroonian troops have supported the operation.

Banki, located in the Borno state where Boko Haram is active, is a regional trading center for people from Nigeria, Cameroon and Central African countries.

The army, in an effort to end the six-year Boko Haram insurgency, is advancing on the Sambisa forest -- the militants' stronghold.

It claims to have routed the insurgents in different towns and communities in the northern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in the last few weeks.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden", has killed over 13,000 people and abducted hundreds since starting its operations in 2009. Endit