Nigerian army says 11 killed in clash with separatists

ABUJA: The Nigerian army said on Friday that five soldiers and six civilians were killed in a clash between soldiers and separatists in the southeast during an ambush on a checkpoint.

The main separatist group denied launching an attack on Thursday, as the region commemorated the more than one million people who died in the Biafra war and famine half a century ago.

The army said the armed wing of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement “sprang a surprise attack” near the city of Aba in Abia State.

“The attack sadly took the lives of five personnel,” spokesman Major General Edward Buba said in a statement. He later said “six civilians were killed in the crossfire.”