20120708
AP
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Police in Nigeria's northeast say members of a radical Islamist sect have clashed with the army in a city wracked by violence.

Yobe state police Patrick Egbuniwe said Saturday that explosions and gunfire rocked the city of Damaturu late Friday. He said it started when members of the Boko Haram sect attacked an army patrol vehicle in a residential area.

The army told Egbuniwe that there were no military casualties. However, he could not say if sect members were hurt. He said civilians weren't endangered because the attack occurred during curfew hours.

Such clashes have been on the rise since the sect carried out a series of deadly attacks on the city last month.

Boko Haram is held responsible for more than 630 deaths this year alone according to an Associated Press count.