At Least 60 Killed in Nigeria

An estimated 68 people were killed in Nigeria over two days of gun battles between government troops and the Boko Haram, an Islamic sect that wants to install sharia law. The country, which is roughly evenly split between Christians and Muslims, has been besieged by the attacks by Boko Haram for the past few weeks, mainly in the northern region. Nigeria’s Army killed more than 50 members of the sect during fighting on Thursday and Friday, the force’s chief of staff said Friday, and three government soldiers also died in the fighting. “They came with sophisticated and heavy weaponry including GPMGs [machine guns] and bombs, but our trained soldiers subdued them,” the force’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, said in comments published in the local media.