7 killed in Nigeria's Kano state

At least five Boko Haram fighters and two soldiers were killed during the Nigerian military's latest clampdown against the militant sect in the northwestern state of Kano, the military said here on Sunday. Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, army spokesperson in the restive northern state, said in a statement that the Joint Task Force (JTF) had killed five suspected terrorists in the city's metropolis on Saturday. He added that two soldiers lost their lives during the early morning operation in two houses at the city's Hotoro Danmarke and Brigade areas. According to him, intelligence reports had indicated that the militants were in the process of finalizing plans to carry out simultaneous suicide attacks in Abuja, the country's capital city and Kano. Items recovered during the operation included two AK-47 rifles and large amounts of ammunition. The military spokesperson added that the security outfit had been achieving positive results from its operations in the state. The Nigerian military has stepped up fight against the extremists in virtually all the northern states in Nigeria. More than 150 Boko Haram suspects in northeast Yobe and Borno states were killed more than a week ago. The Boko Haram sect poses the biggest security threat in the West African country. Hundreds of people have been killed since it launched the insurgency in 2009.