The Nigerian army says it has killed 37 suspected members of extremist militant group Boko Haram in the northeast of the country.

Captain Aliyu Danja, a military spokesman in northeastern Borno state, said on Tuesday that the army launched an attack against a Boko Haram camp located in Alagarno.

"The operation, which commenced Monday, involved a coordinated ground and air assault," said the spokesman, adding, "It was aimed at destroying the terrorists' camp... A total of 37 suspected Boko Haram militants were killed in (a) cross fire exchange."


On May 15, the Nigerian army launched an offensive against the militant group a day after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.

On Sunday, Boko Haram gunmen, who were disguised in military uniform and were riding motorbikes, killed 19 people near the country’s border with Cameroon.

"Five of the victims, who included two truck drivers and their assistants, were shot dead while the rest were slaughtered," said Musa Abur, a local leader.

Boko Haram -- whose name means “Western education is forbidden” -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.

Over the past four years, violence in the north of Africa’s most populous country has claimed the lives of 3,600 people, including killings by the security forces.