ZARI, Nigeria 2 Sep (ANA) - At least 30 Nigerian soldiers have been killed in a gun battle with Boko Haram fighters who overran a military base in the country's northeast, according to military sources.

 

Scores of fighters in trucks stormed the base at Zari village in Borno state late on Thursday and briefly captured it after intense fighting, two sources told AFP news agency on Saturday.

 

"They came in large numbers in trucks and carrying heavy weapons and engaged soldiers in a battle that lasted for an hour," a military officer said.

 

"They overwhelmed the troops who were forced to temporarily withdraw before reinforcements arrived," said the officer who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak.

 

Boko Haram took weapons and military equipment before they were pushed out of the base by troops with aerial support, said a second military source who gave a similar death toll.

 

"The terrorists also suffered heavy casualty from the bombardment," one of the military officers said.

 

Boko Haram are thought to have attacked the base from the nearby Garunda village, where 17 troops were killed and 14 wounded in an attack on another military base last month, the sources said.(ANA)

FA/ANA/2 September 2018---