Nigerian troops foil Boko Haram attack, kill 2 senior commanders

Nigerian troops have killed two senior commanders of Boko Haram after foiling an attack by the terrorists in the northeastern state of Borno, defense authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.

The terrorists had attempted to storm the troops' location in Darul Jamel, a town on the fringes of Sambisa Forest in Borno, the statement said.

The authority did not give the names of the Boko Haram commanders killed in the military operation.

Nigerian forces have recently carried out aggressive patrols and surveillance by land and air in the northeast region, including Borno, where Boko Haram has been rampant since 2009.

On Monday, Nigeria's military said scores of terrorists were killed over the weekend in an air operation in Sambisa Forest, where intensive efforts to rout the extremist group are ongoing.

Boko Haram, which aims to create an Islamic state, is most active in Borno and the neighboring Yobe and Adamawa states. It has been blamed for some 20,000 deaths in Nigeria since 2009. Endit