37 Boko Haram militants killed in gun battle with Nigerian Army

Nigeria’s army said two soldiers and 37 Boko Haram militants were killed in an attack on a camp used by the insurgents at Kotokuma, Borno State.

“The troops cleared the terrorists’ camp which was equipped with medical facility, an improvised explosive devices factory, fuel dump, mechanical workshop, generators and several water points,” Colonel Sani Usman, an army spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement on Saturday. Soldiers “also destroyed three vehicles laden with IEDs meant for suicide bombings,” he said.

Nigeria’s government says it’s making progress in its battle against Boko Haram, which has waged a violent seven-year campaign, mainly in the northeast of the country, to impose its version of Islamic law on Africa’s largest economy.

This week, President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria and its neighbors have “significantly destroyed” the fighting capacity of the insurgents, who have killed thousands since 2009.