ABUJA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 Boko Haram militants were killed by Nigerian troops following a gunfight in the northeastern town of Bama, said a local government official on Monday.
Many militants also fled the scene of the gunfight on Sunday in the town located in Nigeria's northern state of Borno, according to Saeed Sambo, the head of the Gwoza local government area of the state.
Sambo told reporters here that he was being escorted by the troops when the Boko Haram militants laid an ambush for them in the town.
The militants had launched the attack by detonating a number of improvised explosive devices that were followed by heavy gunshots. These were, however, repelled by the troops with superior firepower, the local official added.
The military is yet to comment on the development. Enditem
