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Boko Haram has been blamed for 40 deaths in the past two
weeks in Maiduguri
Nigeria army claims 11 Boko Haram deaths in Maiduguri
By Jonah Fisher
BBC News, Abuja
The Nigerian army says it has killed 11 Islamic militants in the
troubled north-eastern city of Maiduguri.
An army patrol had come under attack from Boko Haram fighters,
who want to establish an Islamic state in the north, said an
army statement.
Witnesses told the BBC the soldiers had set homes on fire and
killed civilians.
The head of a military taskforce in the city denied that his men
had burnt the houses and refused to comment on allegations of
civilians deaths.
'Homes burned'
The statement from a military taskforce in Maiduguri said an
army patrol had been targeted by an explosion and gunshots from
a stationary bus on Saturday evening.
The attack was successfully repelled in fighting that killed 11
Boko Haram militants and injured two soldiers, it said.
Twice in the short statement, mention was made of residents
allowing their homes and shops to be used by the Islamists, and
a warning made of the implications of collaboration.
On Sunday morning, witnesses told the BBC that the patrol had
responded to coming under fire by dragging men out of their
homes and shooting them on the spot.
Homes were burned down by the military, witnesses added, and the
people who had lived there told to leave for good.
When contacted by the BBC, the head of the taskforce refused to
comment on the allegations and said it was the the militants'
improvised explosive device that had led to the homes catching
fire.
Boko Haram has been fighting for Islamic rule in northern
Nigeria.
Over the past two weeks, at least 40 people have been killed in
Maiduguri, the main city in Borno state, in attacks blamed on
the group.
Last month, Boko Haram said it had carried out an attack on the
headquarters of the Nigerian police in the capital, Abuja, which
killed at least six people.
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