Nigerian military: Troops kill 74 suspected members of Islamist group Boko Haram

The Nigerian military killed 74 members of the Islamist group Boko Haram in an air and ground assault, Reuters reported Friday.

"The operation, which involved ground and aerial assault supported by the Nigerian Air Force led to the destruction of the identified terrorist camps, killing 74 terrorists while others fled with serious injuries," Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Dole said in a statement, according to the Reuters report.

Lt. Col. Dole added only two soldiers were wounded.

The raid comes amid reports that suspected Boko Haram members carried out several attacks on police buildings in the area.

The attacks reportedly began late Thursday, witnesses and a police officer told the AFP. The members burned at least four police stations.

Since 2009, a Boko Haram-launched insurgency in northeast Nigera has killed an estimated 3,600 people, Al-Jazeera reports. The group says it wants to establish an Islamic state in the area.

The Nigerian military on Friday imposed a 24-hour curfew after the attacks.

"The 3 Division Special Operation Battalion, Damaturu, hereby imposes a 24-hour curfew across Yobe state, with immediate effect," said Capt. Eli Lazarus, the spokesman for Nigeria's 3 Division Special Operations Battalion, according to a report from Nigeria's PM News. "Law-abiding citizens are enjoined to remain calm as the battalion steps up its operation to rid the state of insurgents."

The Nigerian government declared a state of emergency in three states in May this year and launched a broader military offensive against the group, Al-Jazeera reported.