ABUJA, Nigeria

Fifteen members of the Boko Haram terrorist group surrendered to the Nigerian army on Sunday, the West African nation's military announced.

A statement from the Nigerian army said it conducted an operation in the Aguata region of northeastern Borno State against Boko Haram.

The statement indicated that 15 members of the group surrendered during the operation and that their camp was destroyed.

Boko Haram, which has been active since the early 2000s, has carried out mass violence since 2009, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

Since 2015, the group has also conducted attacks in neighboring countries Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul