Nigerian forces kill 13 militants

Thirteen militants of the Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram have been killed in a raid by government troops, the army said. One soldier was also killed and two more injured in the operation. According to residents, the raid followed an attack last week in the town of Maiduguri by Boko Haram militia in which the throats of 15 Christians were cut. Violence linked to this insurgent group in northern and central Nigeria has left some 3,000 people dead since 2009. Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer, is split between a mainly Muslim north and a predominately Christian south.