Dozens of terrorists drown while fleeing military airstrikes in Nigeria: Sources

By Olanrewaju Kola

ABUJA, Nigeria (AA) - Dozens of Boko Haram terrorists drowned in a river while fleeing military airstrikes in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State, military sources said on Tuesday.

Two military sources told Anadolu Agency that a significant number of terrorists fled amid a heavy air bombardment by the air component of the counter-terrorism forces during an operation on Monday.

During their escape, however, "dozens drowned in a river," a source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the media.

However, the officer in command of counter-terrorism operations in Borno, the country's terror epicenter, could not confirm the incident.

Nigeria has recently increased its efforts to end 13 years of terrorism in the country's northern region.

More than three million people have been displaced and over 100,000 have been killed since the start of terror attacks in 2009 by Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa Province.