LAGOS, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian troops have killed 22 Boko Haram militants after ground security forces repelled the group's attacks on an army base in past few days in the northeastern state of Borno, a military spokesman said on Thursday.
The successes were achieved with "superior firepower and support from the Air Task Force", a component of the ongoing Operation Lafiya Dole, said John Enenche, a military spokesperson in an update on various military operations in the restive northeast region and other parts of the country between Friday and Wednesday.
Enenche said the troops "exhibited its operational readiness" in repelling militants' attacks launched within the period, without specifying an exact date.
He said the troops have recovered caches of arms and ammunition as well as equipment during the encounters.
According to the spokesperson, troops in conjunction with local vigilantes also arrested a Boko Haram member at Damaturu, capital of northeast Yobe state while "the terrorist was trying to purchase arms and ammunition".
Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009, extending its attacks to countries in the Lake Chad Basin. Enditem
