Boko Haram ambush kills 14 military, police in northern Nigeria

Nigeria's military says 14 military and police personnel were killed in an ambush on Monday by Boko Haram militants in the country's north.

The security forces were on escort duty when they were attacked just outside Damaturu town in Yobe state, according to an army statement.

The statement signed by army spokesman Col. Onyema Nwachukwu says efforts to pursue and "eliminate" the Boko Haram extremists are ongoing.

Nigeria's military has been fighting the extremist group insurgency for nearly a decade. The group's ontinued threat poses a major issue for President Muhammadu Buhari as he seeks a second term in February's election.

Last month, President Buhari urged Nigeria's military to "rise to the challenge" of fighting Boko Haram, despite previously claiming that the extremist group had been defeated.

After a recent series of deadly attacks on Nigeria's military, Buhari and others have warned that the extremists have begun using drones to as part of a resurgence.

Boko Haram has killed or kidnapped thousands over the years, including the mass abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, and forced scores of children into carrying out suicide bombings.