TheCable

Boko Haram insurgents have inflicted heavy casualties on troops of the Nigerian army, BBC is reporting.

The insurgents were said to have stormed the base of the soldiers in Kareto village in Borno state in large numbers.

Sani Usman, spokesman of the army, had earlier confirmed the attack, but refused to go into details.

The BBC quoted a soldier as saying the militants came with “heavy weapons which we didn’t have”.

A resident of Kareto said troops managed to regain control of the village with the support of fighter jets.

“Several of the militants were killed in the fighting which lasted for several hours,” the resident was quoted as saying.

However, the army subsequently released a brief statement to say its troops had repelled the insurgents.

Usman said the insurgents had “attempted an incursion into 113 battalion at Kareto ” but were warded off.

“The timely response of the troops involved air cover as more reinforcement have been deployed,” he said.

“The area is now cool and calm.”

Despite the claim of the government to have brought the sect under control, attacks have not entirely ended, although they have become less frequent than the pre-Muhammadu Buhari days.