Security forces were on escort duty when they were attacked in Yobe state in the north of the country, army says.

As many as 14 Nigerian military and police personnel have been killed in an ambush by armed Boko Haram group, the army said in a statement.

According to the army statement issued on Tuesday, security forces were on escort duty when they were attacked on Monday just outside Damaturu town in Yobe state in the north of Nigeria.

The statement signed by army spokesman Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu said efforts to pursue and “eliminate” the Boko Haram group are ongoing.

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Since the group launched its campaign in 2009, Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people and forced two million others to flee their homes in northeast Nigeria.

Nigeria’s military has been fighting the group since then and despite the government’s insistence that it is near defeat, northern Nigeria is still beleaguered by heavy fighting.

Over the years, Boko Haram, which wants to form a breakaway state, has kidnapped thousands of adults and children.

The Boko Haram continued threat is a major issue for President Muhammadu Buhari as he seeks a second term in the upcoming election in February.

After a recent series of deadly attacks on Nigeria’s military, Buhari and other officials have warned that the group has begun using drones as part of a resurgence.