187 killed in Nigeria violence

[iolsa]

LAGOS, Nigeria - The Nigerian Red Cross says at least 187 people have been killed  in fighting between soldiers and Islamic extremists in a fishing community in northeast Nigeria.

Nwakpa O. Nwakpa, a Red Cross spokesman, told The Associated Press on Monday that another 77 people were receiving medical care following Friday's violence in Baga. Nwakpa said some 300 homes had been burned down as well.

Nwakpa said authorities had yet to grant the Red Cross access to  the town, which sits along the shores of Lake Chad in the nation's extreme northeast.

The military said fighters with the Islamic extremist network Boko Haram used rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns in  the fighting. Local residents told the AP on Sunday that soldiers intentionally set fires in neighborhoods where civilians were hiding. - Sapa-AP



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