Lagos, Nigeria - The Nigeria military on Saturday killed 11 suspected members of the Islamic sect Boko Haram in a firefight in the North-eastern city of Maiduguri, a military spokesman said.

The Field Operations Officer of the military Joint Task Force (JTF), Col. Victor Ebhaleme, was quoted as saying another suspected member of the sect was injured during the shootout.

Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno state, is regarded as the base of the sect, which has killed 935 persons since it launched its violent campaign in 2009, according to Human Rights Watch.

The state is one of those which President Goodluck Jonathan placed under a state of emergency on 31 December 2011, following the attack that killed at least 44 in a church in Madalla, near the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

In its single biggest attack on 20 January, Boko Haram killed 185 people in coordinated attacks against the police and other security agencies in Kano, the biggest city in the North.

Pana 29/01/2012