Hundreds of suspected militants from the Islamic insurgency Boko Haram on Monday stormed an air base in northeast Nigeria in a bid to destroy the military's main advantage: air power.

The rebels struck the town of Maiduguri before dawn, said two witnesses and the Nigerian military. The attack triggered an hourslong firefight for control of the town's strategic airfield.

"The Nigerian Army [has] successfully repelled the insurgents and inflicted serious casualties on them," said Col. Muhammad Dole.

The military didn't say how many people were killed, or respond to requests for those details. Other witnesses cited by the Associated Press described a scene littered with bodies and burned vehicles, but didn't provide numbers.

The attack highlights the increasingly central role that combat aircraft are performing in Nigeria'sescalating battle against Boko Haram. Some analysts describe Nigeria's collection of aging helicopters and Chinese fighter jets as the country's last big tactical advantage.