Monday's attack on Gashigar, on the border with Niger, is the third reported direct attack on the military after months of a lull during which the extremists hit soft civilian targets, AP reported on Wednesday.
Army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman called the attack a "temporary setback" committed by "remnants of Boko Haram" that forced the soldiers to retreat. He said an operation is in progress to find the missing troopers and "clear the Boko Haram terrorists at the general area."
Boko Haram terrorists have so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced over 2.7 million others from their homes. The group has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group operating mainly in Syria and Iraq.