ABUJA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian troops thwarted an attack early Sunday by Boko Haram terrorists who attempted to infiltrate Damboa, a town in the northern state of Borno, an army spokesman said on Monday.
"The terrorists attempted to infiltrate the town with an unconfirmed number of foot soldiers and some mounted on motorcycles," Onyema Nwachukwu said in a statement.
He said troops of the 25 Task Force Brigade in Borno unleashed heavy fire, exacting "debilitating gunshot wounds" on the militants and forced them to "beat a retreat in disarray."
Two vehicles belonging to the government-backed Civilian Joint Task Force were razed by fire in the encounter with Boko Haram militants, Nwachukwu said.
Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. The terror group has also extended its attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin. Enditem
