Little Victory: Military win battle of Advance against Boko Haram

An officer and other witnesses say soldiers killed scores of Islamic extremists in a rare victory as the insurgents advanced on a town near the north-east Nigerian city of Maiduguri.

One officer said a feared Boko Haram commander was among some 200 militants killed in a battle Friday in Konduga town, 22 miles (35km) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and birthplace of the extremist group.

Boko Haram in recent weeks has taken a string of towns stretching over 200 miles (320km) alongside Nigeria's north-east border with Cameroon in a new campaign to create an Islamic caliphate.

The United States has said it is launching a major border security project for Nigeria.http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/extremists-killed-in-north-nigeria-30584090.html