Nigerian troops wrest town from Boko Haram

Nigerian troops claimed Saturday to have recaptured territories in northeastern Nigeria from Boko Haram insurgents, according to a Xinhua report.

The security forces said that they have recaptured the Michika town and its neighbourhood in northeastern Nigeria's Adamawa state from the Islamist militants.

The troops were carrying out mopping up operations in the area around the town, national defence spokesman, Chris Olukolade said.

He said that the assault on the terrorists' main positions was concluded Thursday and many of them died in the combat, adding that the rebels on the run were being pursued.

The troopers who sustained injuries in the operation were receiving medical attention, the spokesman said.

Boko Haram has proved to be a major security threat in Nigeria since 2009. The group seeks to enshrine the Islamic Sharia law in the Nigerian constitution and create an Islamic state in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria.

The group has killed more than 12,000 people in the past few years, according to the Nigerian government.