ABUJA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian troops have dislodged Boko Haram fighters from Mallam Fatori town, a strong base of the terror group in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, an army spokesman said on Wednesday.
The troops, together with the multinational joint force against Boko Haram, engaged the Boko Haram fighters in a fierce battle in Mallam Fatori, Col. Sani Usman, spokesman of the Nigerian army, told reporters here.
An unspecified number of terrorists were killed during the military operation, which included air strikes by the Nigerian forces, Usman said.
According to him, the terrorists reinforced around the border with Niger, and subsequently withdrew to a vantage position.
He said military operation will continue in the area.
Boko Haram uses Nigeria's northeast region as its stronghold and has been frequently raided in the past six years.
Over the past months, the Nigerian government has launched several military operations to eliminate the terrorist threat.
