Nigerian troops kill 14 Boko Haram fighters, rescue 146 hostages: spokesman

Nigerian troops have killed 14 Boko Haram fighters in an operation aimed at clearing the remnants of the terror group in the northeast region, spokesman of the Army, Texas Chukwu, said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Chukwu said 146 Boko Haram hostages were also freed during the military operation in Gwoza area of the northern state on Borno on Sunday and Monday.

One soldier was wounded during the operation, the army spokesman confirmed.

He said those rescued persons are being documented for handover to the appropriate agency.

On Sept. 6, 14 Boko Haram fighters were killed in a similar operation by government forces in the same northeastern neighborhood of Gwoza.

Some 21 people taken hostage by the Boko Haram terror group were also freed during that operation.

Boko Haram has been trying since 2009 to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria, killing some 20,000 people and forcing displacement of millions of others.

The resilience of the insurgent Boko Haram group in the Lake Chad basin since 2009 posed enormous security, humanitarian and governance challenges, according to the United Nations.

Four countries caught up in the insurgency are Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. The United Nations said the Boko Haram had displaced nearly 2.4 million people in the Lake Chad sub-region.