20120909
Press TV
At least seven suspected members of the militant group Boko Haram have been killed in a gun battle with the Nigerian army in the country’s north.

An army spokesman said a further 13 people were arrested after the Saturday attack on an army checkpoint in Maiduguri.

"A group of gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists opened fire on a military checkpoint where soldiers were conducting a cordon-and-search operation,” Lt Col Sagir Musa said.

"The soldiers responded with gunfire, leading to a shootout. Seven gunmen were killed in the fire exchange and 13 others were arrested while the rest fled. No casualty was recorded on the part of the soldiers," he added.

The extremist group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.

On May 11, Nigerian security forces arrested Suleiman Mohammed, Boko Haram's head of operations in Kano, along with his wife and five children, during a raid on his house in the northern city.


Human rights groups report that violent actions by Boko Haram since mid-2009 have claimed more than 1,000 lives, including over 300 this year alone.