The Nigerian Defense Headquarters said five terrorists and two anti-aircraft guns had been captured.
Officials gave no casualty tolls, but residents told CNN that at least 40 Boko Haram fighters were killed when they were surprised by Nigerian soldiers and fought a lengthy gun battle.
Scores of Boko Haram militants in 10 pickups and two motorcycles attempted to storm the town, 200 kilometers (about 124 miles) south of the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, around 7:30 a.m. local time. They were intercepted by soldiers from nearby military barracks, leading to two-hour gunfight, residents said.
Dozens of troops lay in wait for the militants and opened fire on an advance team of three pickups carrying the gunmen near an airstrip 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) outside Biu, residents said.
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Nigeria is holding presidential elections in February. Earlier this month, Jonathan launched his re-election bid in a raucous rally in Lagos.
He did not say a word about the massacres.
March for Paris, but don’t overlook Boko Haram horror
CNN’s Aminu Abubakar reported and wrote from Kano, Nigeria. CNN’s Steve Almasy wrote in Atlanta. CNN’s Faith Karimi contributed to this report.
