At least 19 Nigerian soldiers and three civilians were injured in an ambush by Islamist militant group Boko Haram in the country’s northeast, the army said.
The soldiers fought back and killed “several” of the insurgents, acting spokesman Sani Kukasheka Usman said late Thursday in a statement.
Special forces have been dispatched to locate “a few” troops missing in action, he said.
The soldiers had destroyed camps used by the militants in Guro Gongon village and recovered weapons before the ambush, Usman said.