Abuja, May 30 (IANS): Nigerian troops on Friday killed 10 Boko Haram militants while thwarting an attempted attack on a military base in the northeastern state of Borno, a spokesman for the army said on Saturday.

Mohammed Yerima, the spokesman for the army, said in a statement that the militants came in their numbers, mounted on gun trucks, and attempted to infiltrate the main entrance of Rann, a town in the northern state, with a heavy presence of troops.

The troops were right on hand to counter the move and inflicted a "humiliating defeat on the terrorists who abandoned their evil mission and took to their heels," Yerima said.

He said the troops thereafter chased the fleeing Boko Haram members and ensured there was no further threat to the town and the residents.

One of the gun trucks of the militants was successfully destroyed, he said, adding the troops also recovered multiple weapons, including one anti-aircraft gun, two machine guns, and eight AK-47 rifles from them.

Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. The terror group has also extended its attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin.