18 terrorists killed by Nigerian troops

The Nigerian military said Monday that it killed 18 terrorists, while troops captured more weapons and aborted attacks on the outskirts of Bama and Ngurosoye in northeastern Borno state.

The terrorists were killed during military patrol at the weekend in the area, Xinhua quoted military spokesperson Chris Olukolade as saying in a statement.

He said the troops dislodged a band of terrorists who were about to attack some settlements and in the encounter, 16 burnt AK-47 rifles were also found in the debris.

According to him, the troops also destroyed five pickup vehicles, seven Gulf cars and one Hillux truck.

"A total of 75 villagers were screened and released in the course of cordon and search in the adjoining communities," he added.

The purported bomb attack on a market in the vicinity, as widely reported in the media, is however yet to be verified, he said, adding that a total of 16 AK-47 rifles were also recovered in the course of cordon and search of communities.

He noted that mop-up operations were ongoing on Mandara Mountains and Haraza hills.

He said troops had eventually overrun camps in the outskirts of Gombole, Mele, Kecheri, Dufrfada, Yuwe, and others around Mandara mountains and Sambisa forests, after stiff resistance.

The military spokesperson added that many terrorists died in the encounter, while a soldier lost his life and five others were wounded.

The Joint Task Force had also stepped up patrols of the banks of Lake Chad as well as surrounding communities, he added.

He said this was in addition to air surveillance and patrols designed to smoke out the remnants of the terrorists.