Nigeria's army said Friday it had killed 74 suspected Boko Haram fighters in a raid on insurgent camps in restive Borno state, the latest operation in the military's bid to crush a four-year Islamist uprising.

"The operations, which involved ground and aerial assault...led to the destruction of the identified terrorists camps, killing 74 suspected militants," area army spokesman Mohammed Dole said of the Thursday raid in Borno in the northeast, Boko Haram's stronghold.