At least 40 Nigerian soldiers have been killed and 65 others gone missing after clashes with suspected members of the Boko Haram militant group, a report says.

The clashes took place along the Baga-Maiduguri road in the northwest of the country on Friday, according to the report published by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

An investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the operational failure, which led to the heavy casualties on the army’s side.

The commanding officer of the unit which carried out the operation was dismissed from his post.

Initially, the soldiers were supposed to have aerial support in the attack, but the plan was cancelled at the final minutes by an unnamed top official, forcing the troops to deal with an ambush on their own.

“Due to lack of communication, the troops ran into the terrorists without knowing that the aerial bombardment had been cancelled and they were caught unaware,” said a source on condition of anonymity.


On Sunday, four Boko Haram militants were killed by vigilantes of the Civilian Joint Task Force in the town of Mubi in the eastern state of Adamawa.

Boko Haram -- whose name means “Western education is forbidden” -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.

Over the past four years, violence in the north of Africa’s most populous country has claimed the lives of 3,600 people, including killings by the security forces.