By Olarewaju Kola
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria
At least 28 Boko Haram militants have reportedly been killed in a fresh battle with troops in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State.
"Boko Haram… launched a fresh attack on Damboa on Sunday night, but our men and officers on guard repelled it," a senior military officer, requesting anonymity, told Anadolu Agency on Monday.
The militants reportedly attempted to enter Damboa, located about 85km southwest of Maiduguri, Borno State's provincial capital, after the town was retaken by the military.
"We dealt with them, and more than 28 of the terrorists died," said the officer.
Communicating with Damboa residents has been difficult since July 17, when Boko Haram militants overran the town, destroying telephone facilities and killing at least 80 people, including soldiers, police and a military commander.
Over 15,000 residents were displaced in the wake of the attack, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Boko Haram had controlled the area until late August, when they were dislodged by Nigerian troops.
Tijjani Saleh, a displaced Damboa resident currently staying at a camp for internally displaced persons in Biu, said the latest attack had lasted about five hours.
"Some of the soldiers from Damboa came to Biu today and said the Boko Haram men were heavily armed and had come with an armored tank to retake Damboa," he told AA by phone.
"They said more than 30 Boko Haram [militants] were killed and soldiers also seized their weapons," added Saleh.
The Nigerian military has yet to officially comment on the report.
Nigeria on Friday announced it had reached a cease-fire with Boko Haram. The deal reportedly stipulates the safe return of over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the group over six months ago in exchange for detained militants.
Since the cease-fire deal was announced, Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly attacked two communities in Borno State.
About 20 Boko Haram fighters in two vehicles stormed Maikadiri in Abadam in northern Borno, where they had fired into residents' homes, local sources told AA on Saturday.
They also raided a village near Shaffa in the Hawul Local Government Area, about 230km from provincial capital Maiduguri.
The twin attacks reportedly left several people dead.
Boko Haram has waged a violent five-year insurgency, largely in Nigeria's northeastern region, where more than 13,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed and the local economy crippled.
The notorious group has been officially outlawed in Nigeria, Turkey and the United States.
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