At least 22 Nigerian soldiers killed as insurgents fight military attack

At least 22 soldiers were killed and several injured in northeastern Nigeria after insurgents used improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers to prevent military attacks, army spokesman Edward Buba said.

The Nigerian military said on Sunday night it launched an attack 10 days ago against insurgents in the northeast and killed more than 70 militants, including three commanders.

Buba said government forces also shot down drones used by insurgents.

Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants have operated mainly in Borno state, targeting security forces and civilians in an insurgency that has killed and displaced tens of thousands of people.

On Friday, suspected Islamist insurgents killed at least 20 Nigerian soldiers, including a commanding officer, in an attack on a military base in a remote town of Borno, according to security sources and local residents.

An Islamic insurgency has ravaged the northeast of Africa's most populous country for 16 years, while kidnappings and banditry are rampant in the northwest and gang and separatist violence is common in the southeast.