Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) A gun attack by the terror group Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday night left 18 people dead and 84 wounded after clashes with soldiers, according to state emergency officials

The attack, on the outskirts of Maiduguri city, came days after the government acknowledged it was holding ceasefire talks with the Islamist militant group, which pledges allegiance to ISIS.

The attack happened in the villages of Bale Shuwa and Bale Kura, close to the city's military camp, said Bello Danbatta, chief security officer in the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

"We picked up 15 bodies from Bale Shuwa and three more in Bale Kura," said Danbatta.

Boko Haram militants were pushed back after an hourlong battle, Ibrahim Liman, a member of the militia force fighting the extremist group, told CNN.