ABUJA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 64 Boko Haram militants were killed in multiple operations by the Nigerian military in the country's northeast region, an official said on Thursday.
The operations took place within two days, between Jan. 9 and 10, with the aim of flushing out the remnants of the terror group from their enclaves in the restive region, John Enenche, the spokesman for the military, said at a weekly news conference in Abuja.
Enenche said the operations included airstrikes targeting the hideouts of the militants.
According to him, the military operations codenamed "Operation Tura Takaibango" took place in Yobe, a neighboring state to Borno, the theater of insurgency since 2009.
On Jan. 9, a total of 28 Boko Haram militants were killed in the Gujba local government area of Yobe, while 30 others were killed near the Buni Yadi area of the state on the same day, the official said.
On the following day, six more terrorists were killed in another raid on their hideout in the village of Kafa in Yobe, Enenche added.
The Boko Haram group has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. The deadly group has also extended its attacks to countries in the Lake Chad Basin. Enditem
