Army Kills 74 Boko Haram Fighters In Borno

[Shola Sholaz]

Nigeria's army said Friday it had killed 74 suspected Boko Haram fighters in a raid in northeastern Borno state, as gunmen from the Islamist group battled security forces in a neighbouring area.
.
The army, which is battling to crush a four year Islamist uprising in Nigeria, said it deployed bombs and ground troops to destroy insurgent camp. in Borno on Thursday.
.
Army spokesman Mohammed Dole said that "74 suspected militants" were killed in the assault outside the Borno capital Maiduguri, where Boko Haram was founded more than a decade ago.
.
The operation followed an assault Monday on Boko Haram camps in another part of Borno, which the military said left 37 Islamists dead.
.
In a separate outbreak of violence, suspected Islamist fighters stormed the city of Damaturu in coordinated raids on Thursday, burning at least four police buildings, said a senior police officer who requested anonymity.
.
The officer said there were casualties from the attack, which will be seen as a setback in the campaign to end the insurgency.
.
The military had claimed an offensive launched more than four months ago had put Boko Haram on the defensive and left it incapable of attacking major urban centres like Damaturu.