ABUJA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian Army on Wednesday said troops are chasing after Boko Haram militants who attempted to infiltrate the city of Damaturu, capital of the northeastern state of Yobe.
The terror group had almost invaded Damaturu on Tuesday to wreak havoc in the city, but troops repelled the attack a few meters ahead of Maisandari community, the outskirts of the city.
Njoka Irabor, a spokesman of the army, said in a statement reaching Xinhua in Abuja on Wednesday that troops laid an ambush for the Boko Haram fighters, following credible information of planned efforts by the terror group to attack Damaturu.
The city of Damaturu was last attacked by the terror group on Dec. 1, 2014, during which over 150 people, including 38 policemen, were killed.
The army statement confirmed that the repelling of the attack by troops on Tuesday "led to the extermination of many Boko Haram terrorists", while many others escaped with gunshot wounds.
It, however, did not disclose the number of terrorists killed. "The terrorists were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the gallant troops and the well-coordinated air support, from the air component of the military," the statement added.
Boko Haram has been trying since 2009 to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria, extending its attacks to countries in the Lake Chad basin.
The group has posed enormous security, humanitarian and governance challenges in the Lake Chad basin, including Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, and Niger, according to the United Nations.
