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Hundreds of Boko Haram militants stormed the town of Askira Uba in northeast Nigeria, burning homes and public buildings, as attacks continued despite a regional campaign against the Islamist rebels, witnesses said Tuesday, AFP reported.

Residents able to flee the town in Borno state left in droves, with only the sick and elderly remaining behind through the insurgents' rampage. 

"We don't know their fate in the hands of Boko Haram," said a guard at the palace of the local chief, requesting anonymity. 

The attack began at about 7:30 p.m. Monday and the extremists "burnt most of the homes in town", he added. 

Another resident who fled, Aliyu Abdullahi, gave similar details but said Monday's attack was preceded by a similar raid Sunday, when the insurgents torched the local emir's palace. 

"When they burnt the palace of the emir Sunday we thought they were done only for them to come back last night and set the town on fire," said Abdullahi who fled to the nearby town of Mubi, which was recently liberated from rebel control.

Abdullahi said residents in Askira Uba tried to call for help from troops based in the town of Chibok 25 kilometers (16 miles) away but that soldiers "refused to deploy."