Bandits, soldiers killed in northwest Nigeria gunfight: army
The clash occurred in Shanono, where troops backed by other security agencies raided a bandit hideout, the army says.
Nigeria's military has said 19 armed bandits were killed in a firefight in Kano state, marking a rare outbreak of violence in the northwestern commercial hub.
Army spokesperson Babatunde Zubairu said in a statement on Tuesday that two soldiers and a local vigilante also died in the operation.
The clash occurred in Shanono, where troops backed by other security agencies raided a bandit hideout, the army said.
The operation is part of a broader military campaign to curb escalating insecurity across northern Nigeria, where armed groups have killed and kidnapped thousands in recent years.
Separately, Nigerian and Nigerien forces repelled an attack by Boko Haram and Daesh-affiliated terrorists on a military base in northeast Nigeria early on Tuesday, killing at least six insurgents.
Follow-up air strikes killed more fighters, the army said.
The assault on Forward Operating Base Kangar, located in Borno state, which borders Niger, began around 0330 GMT and involved armed drones and mortar fire, the army regional counter-insurgency task force said in a statement.
Several soldiers and civilians suffered minor injuries and were swiftly evacuated for treatment, the statement said.