At least five Boko Haram militants were killed and four hostages rescued by Nigerian troops on separate operations in the countrys northeast region, the military said on Tuesday. The Boko Haram militants were killed on Monday in a gunfight in the village of Buni Gari, located in the Gujba local government area of the northern state of Yobe, said Benard Onyeuko, a spokesperson for the military. Onyeuko said a number of other terrorists sustained gunshot wounds during the gunfight, as their attempt to infiltrate the Buni Gari village was thwarted. A woman and three children were rescued unhurt in another operation aimed at clearing the remnants of the Boko Haram group in the northeastern state of Borno on Monday, the spokesperson said, adding that the rescue occurred in a Boko Haram enclave in the village of Miyanti in the Bama local government area. A large cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the terrorists, including one rocket-propelled grenade launcher, he added. Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009, extending its attacks to countries in the Lake Chad Basin.
