Fighters from Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram have inflicted heavy casualties on Nigerian forces after launching an early morning attack on their position in the north-eastern state of Borno, a soldier and a resident have told the BBC.
The militants stormed the base in Kareto village in large numbers with "heavy weapons which we didn't have", said the soldier who spoke to the BBC Hausa on condition of anonymity.
"We lost some men. I don't know how many, and many others were injured. Some of us fled in disarray. We realised that we were outnumbered and outgunned," another soldier is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
However, a resident of Kareto, some 60km (37 miles) from neighbouring Niger, told the BBC Hausa service that troops managed to regain control of the village with the support of fighter jets.
Several of the militants were killed in the fighting which lasted for several hours, the resident added.
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