No less than 50 Nigerian soldiers have been killed in an ambush by Boko Haram fighters near Goneri village in Yobe State.
Defence ministry spokesman, John Enenche, informed journalists in Abuja on Tuesday of the incident.
“The Nigerian military suffered some casualties in the unfortunate attack,” he said of the incident that occurred over the weekend.
Mr Enenche did not give the exact number of casualties.
However, local sources told German press agency dpa on the telephone that around 50 and 75 soldiers people were killed.
Following the attack, the air force was called in to raid the position of the fighters.
The exact number of Boko Haram fighters killed is not known.
A military official with knowledge of the operation told The Associated Press that the attack, one of the deadliest against troops recently, came as the military tried to launch an offensive against the armed group that began over the weekend.
The source said the insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades and assault weapons at military vehicles.
He also said the injured are being treated at hospitals in Damaturu and Maiduguri.
