Lagos, Dec 24 (IANS): Over 70 people have been killed in clashes between the army and members of the Boko Haram militant group in the northeast, following last Friday pre-dawn attacks on a military barracks in Bama town, the Nigerian defence authority said Monday.

"Over 50 of them (Boko Haram) died in the course of exchange of fire with ground troops in the ongoing operations to apprehend fleeing terrorists," Xinhua quoted Major General Chris Olukolade, the defence director of information, as saying in a statement.

He said the military also lost 15 troops mostly from the attack while some died during the pursuit, adding that a total of five civilians also died during the attack.

According to Olukolade, the military operations led to the destruction of over 20 vehicles carrying escaping militants.

He added that the vehicles were the ones used during the attack on the barracks and were sighted through air surveillance as the militants were making efforts to cross the borders back to their haven in Cameroon.