A witness and officials say at least 20 people have been killed in an attack by Islamic extremists on a military base in north-east Nigeria.

The attack happened in the village of Monguno, some 125 miles from the city of Maiduguri.

Military spokesman Lt Col Sagir Musa said in a statement all those killed were believed to be fighters from the radical Islamic terrorist network Boko Haram.

However, witnesses said at least one of the dead appeared to be a civilian.

Military officials in Nigeria routinely downplay civilian casualties.

Boko Haram and its splinter groups are waging a bloody guerrilla campaign against Nigeria's weak central government.

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