Islamists Attack Village in Central Nigeria, 11 Dead

(AP) 11 killed in central Nigeria village attacks
JOS, Nigeria
Officials in central Nigeria say at least 11 people have been killed in ongoing fighting between Christian and Muslim villagers in the region.

The attacks centered around the volatile city of Jos, where thousands have been killed since Nigeria became a democracy in 1999.

In the first attack Saturday, Tarok Christian people living in the Karkashi village say people from a neighboring Muslim Hausa-Fulani village raided their homes. Military spokesman Capt. Mustafa Salisu said Sunday that seven people were killed in that attack.

Later, in Zango, a Hausa-Fulani village, a community leader says four attackers from a Tarok settlement were killed. At least five people were also injured.

Religion, politics, grazing rights and economic power all play a role in the violence in Nigeria’s fertile central belt region.