The Nigerian army killed 70 extremists during a military operation against a terrorist enclave in the northeastern state of Borno, in which 22 Nigerian soldiers also died, the Armed Forces announced today.
"Troops from Operation Hadin Kai in the northeast of the country have carried out a clearing operation in the notorious terrorist stronghold and enclave known as the Timbuktu Triangle," Nigerian Army spokesman Lieutenant General Edward Buba said in a statement released on Sunday, and quoted today by the French news agency, France-Presse (AFP).
Buba said the military operation, aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves in the region, began on January 16 and has since led to several clashes with extremists.
"The three-pronged operation aimed at dismantling the terrorist presence in the Timbuktu Triangle began on January 16; troops had several encounters with the terrorists during the clearing operation, which resulted in the neutralization of 70 terrorist fighters, including three high-ranking commanders," added the spokesman for the Nigerian armed forces, lamenting the death of 22 soldiers and several injuries.
Northeastern Nigeria has been subject to attacks by Boko Haram since 2009, a violence that intensified in 2016 with the emergence of its offshoot, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Both groups seek to impose an Islamic state in Nigeria, a country with a Muslim majority in the north and predominantly Christian in the south.
Boko Haram and ISWAP have killed more than 35,000 people and displaced around 2.7 million people, mainly in Nigeria but also in neighboring countries such as Cameroon, Chad and Niger, according to government and United Nations figures.
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