Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri and Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional military operation, has said its troops killed 40 Boko Haram terrorists and destroyed six gun trucks in an offensive against the insurgents in a Borno border town at the weekend.

MNJTF spokesman, Col. Timothy Antigha, in a statement  from N’Djamena, the headquarters in Chad, said troops carried out an offensive against Boko Haram  terrorists following an attack on its base at Gueskerou, about 30 kilometres from Diffa in Niger Republic, along the Nigeria-Niger border on Saturday.

“However, troops showed valour and gallantry by fiercely defending their location and killing 27 terrorists, destroying six gun trucks and capturing several equipment, arms and ammunition,” Antigha said.

He said some of the insurgents that escaped “the fire fight” were observed running towards Gashigar, a remote community in the northern part of Borno.

He said that  MNJTF troops equally confronted some Boko Haram later on Saturday evening around Abadam, killing 23 of the insurgents. This, according to him, put the casualty figure at 40. He added that a member of the terrorist group was arrested, while 20 AK-47 rifles and five anti-aircraft guns were seized from the insurgents.

Other items seized included 1,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, hand grenade and five motorcycles.

The offensive, which the MNJTF described as successful, came barely two weeks after troops routed some Boko Haram terrorists in the same northern part of Borno.