The Nigerian army said Friday it killed at least 16 Boko Haram militants during a midnight operation in northeastern Borno state.
Army spokesperson Onyechi Anele said troops launched sustained indirect fire around 1 a.m. in the Damboa Local Government Area, sparking a gun battle that led to the deaths of the insurgents.
Boko Haram, a jihadist group active across northeastern Nigeria and parts of Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon and Mali, has waged a brutal insurgency for over a decade, marked by mass killings and widespread displacement.
Borno state has, in recent months, witnessed a surge in terrorist activity, including the use of explosive devices to wreak havoc.
“The main thrust of the attack targeted the brigade, prompting the swift deployment of air support to reinforce ground troops,” Anele said in a statement Friday.
She also confirmed that an ammunition storage area was hit during the exchange but was swiftly brought under control, with no further escalation.
Separately, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu said 15,543 insurgents have been killed across the country in the first two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Ribadu made the disclosure Thursday during a presentation at the national summit of the All Progressives Congress, held to mark the administration’s second anniversary.
