MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) -- A radical Islamist sect claimed responsibility
Tuesday for weekend attacks that have killed at least 58 people
including two lawmakers in central Nigeria, adding a new dimension to a
security crisis in a region that has seen years of religious violence.
Christians
"will not know peace again" if they do not accept Islam, said a
statement from the Boko Haram sect obtained by The Associated Press.
The
northern-based group claimed responsibility for weekend attacks in
Plateau state, though some suggested they had acted with local
communities.
"(Boko Haram) wants to inform the
world of its delight over the success of the attacks we launched on
Barkin Ladi and Riyom in Plateau state on Christians and security
operatives, including members of the National Assembly," the statement
said.
Hundreds of assailants armed with guns
and machetes stormed a dozen Christian villages on Saturday, the army
said. Some attackers wore police uniforms and bullet-proof vests, said
Capt. Mustapha Saliu, a spokesman for a special unit of police and
soldiers deployed to halt long-running violence in the area.
The
following day, as dignitaries attended a mass burial for the victims,
assailants attacked again, killing a federal senator and a state
lawmaker.
The Nigerian Red Cross said late
Sunday that aid workers had counted 58 bodies as they continued to
search for more. An updated death toll was not immediately available
Tuesday.
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