Blast in Nigeria wounds policemen

A bomb planted by suspected Islamists wounded eight policemen on Friday in the violence-hit Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the military said, while soldiers were accused of shooting civilians "The bomb was planted and the van drove over it, exploding and injuring eight policemen," said Colonel Victor Ebhaleme, operations commander for a military-police task force in the northeastern city. "The bomb was from all indications planted by members of Boko Haram that have been engaged in such attacks." An emergency source said there had been reports of shootings by the military as well, with a number of innocent civilians killed, though he could not yet provide details. "The situation is very scary," he said on condition of anonymity. "It's terrible. Everybody is thinking about their lives." The city has been hit by almost daily bomb blasts and shootings in recent weeks blamed on the Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which launched an uprising in 2009 put down by a brutal military assault. Hundreds of troops were recently deployed to Maiduguri to combat the Islamists. Soldiers have previously been accused of shooting civilians and burning their houses over accusations that residents cooperated with the Islamists, which the military denies. The sect claims to be fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria, a country of some 150 million people roughly divided in half between Christians and Muslims.