ABUJA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian army late Wednesday confirmed 15 Boko Haram fighters killed in separate clearance operations by troops in the northeastern state of Borno and the Southern Lake Chad Basin area.
The 15 Boko Haram fighters were killed on Tuesday, the army said in a statement made available to Xinhua.
Four of the terrorists were killed in an ambush by troops in Borno, while 11 others were neutralized as the government forces raided the hideout of the terror group in Gomaran village of Southern Lake Chad Basin area, the army said.
Onyema Nwachukwu, a spokesman of the Nigerian Army Command in Borno, told Xinhua that "the valiant troops captured two Boko Haram flags, a pair of camouflage uniform, a pair of combat boots, a camera, a bag of mechanical tools and medications," during the clearance operations.
Military sources told Xinhua Thursday that the clearance operations were part of the newly launched "Operation Last Hold" by the Nigerian army on Tuesday.
The four-month operation was launched to totally defeat Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region and ensure the destruction of the group's strong points and strongholds, the army said at the commencement of the operation.
Nigeria has made considerable gains against the terror group, dislodging its fighters from the Sambisa Forest.
Boko Haram has been blamed for the death of more than 20,000 people and displacement of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since 2009.
