Nigerien army has killed no fewer than 30 suspected Boko Haram fighters in an operation to flush out militants in border villages inside Nigeria.

The hunt for the insurgents on Thursday came a day after armed men believed to be Boko Haram fighters killed no fewer than 12 villagers in Niger.

“Our defence forces who are engaged in the operation inside Nigeria between the towns of Malam Fatori and Damasak, killed the insurgents on Thursday,” Reuters news agency quoted a security source as saying.

Boko Haram has fought a bloody six-year insurgency aimed at carving out an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria.

It has stepped up cross-border attacks since it began calling itself the Islamic State’s “West Africa Province” after pledging allegiance to the hardline militant group in March.