Nigerian army says 50 Boko Haram members killed in operation

Nigeria's military said Friday it had killed 50 members of the armed group Boko Haram in an operation launched in response to a recent attack by the group in which at least 15 villagers were gunned down, in the latest violence to hit the region.

Boko Haram, which aims to impose Islamic law in northern Nigeria, is considered the largest security threat to the country which is Africa's top oil exporter.

Gunmen suspected to be from Boko Haram opened fire in a market on Thursday in the town of Gajiran, killing at least 15 people, residents said.

The military sent troops in pursuit of the attackers backed by air support, area military spokesman Sagir Musa told journalists in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

"Troops pursued the terrorists to their camps with air support and about 50 insurgents were killed in a shootout," Musa said.

"The villages have been rescued from the fangs of the insurgents. Troops are pursuing the remnants of the fleeing terrorists by blocking all possible escape routes," he added.

The military sometimes exaggerates its successes and plays down its own casualties and the deaths of civilians, residents of Borno and rights groups have said.

The violence occurred in Borno state where the military has battled the armed group for the past four years. Most of the northeast was placed under a state of emergency in May, when the military launched a major offensive aimed at crushing the group.

The phone network has been shut down in Borno since the emergency measures were imposed and details of both Boko Haram attacks and military operations have been slow to emerge and difficult to verify.

The military has claimed major gains in the offensive, describing Boko Haram as being in disarray and only capable of attacking soft targets in remote areas.

While the number of attacks appeared to decline shortly after the military campaign was launched, the bloodshed has spiked in recent weeks, with dozens of people killed in a range of attacks across the region.

Muslim worshipers were slaughtered while gathering for morning prayers in August and more than 40 students were killed in an attack on a school in July, among other incidents.

Some of Boko Haram's recent attacks have targeted vigilante groups that have formed in Borno to defend the population.

The vigilantes -- often armed with clubs and knives -- have set up check points and carried out citizen's arrests on individuals they claim are members. As a result, they and their families have been targeted by Boko Haram.

Visiting Maiduguri on Friday, Nigeria's chief of army staff, Azubuike Ihejirika, praised the vigilantes, calling them "youth volunteers" who have "greatly supported the Nigerian army."

Some civilians have also voiced support for the vigilantes, but many warn that they could make the crisis worse. Such groups have been previously used in Nigeria as political enforcers.

More than 160 people were killed in violence linked to Boko Haram last month -- one of the bloodiest since President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency.

The Boko Haram conflict is estimated to have cost more than 3,600 lives since 2009, including killings by the security forces, who have been accused of major abuses. 

Wire services