Local authorities arrested 15 Boko Haram terrorists as the death toll from a recent attack on Darak here rose to 37, including 21 soldiers and 16 civilians.
"We now know that 21 soldiers and 16 civilians were killed in the attack. We arrested some 15 Boko Haram militants and neutralised some. We are still searching for some missing civilians and soldiers," Xinhua quoted its military sources as saying.
The terror group carried out the attack on the region bordering Lake Chad on Sunday night, clashing with the Cameroonian army until Monday afternoon.
"They were shooting indiscriminately, killing civilians in the process. Some of those shot fell into Lake Chad and the bodies were retrieved after," the Chinese state-run press agency wrote.
"If they (terrorists) had come during peak hours, today would be a disaster. They even broke into the military camp, then left with weapons and equipment," one of Darak's residents, Alifa Adoum said. His brother lost his life in the Boko Haram attack.
The town's Mayor, Ali Ramat, called for military reinforcement while speaking to Xinhua. "Boko Haram can fall upon us at any moment," he said.
The terrorist orgsation had kidnapped over 270 teenage girls from a boarding school in Borno, which sparked global outrage. This incident sparked the '#BringBackOurGirls' campaign on social media.
( With inputs from ANI )