Military raid in northeast Nigerian city attack kills more than 40 likely civilians

Haruna Umar, The Associated Press

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria - A hospital official in northeast Nigeria says more than 40 people, likely civilians, are dead after a military raid in a city that's the spiritual home of a radical Islamist sect.

The official at Maiduguri General Hospital said soldiers brought the corpses, mostly young men, into the hospital Thursday night. The official said Friday that the dead came from the Kalari neighbourhood and did not appear to be armed combatants of the Islamist sect known as Boko Haram.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of angering soldiers. A military spokesman in the city declined to comment Friday.

Nigeria's security forces face growing international condemnation over harassing and killing civilians while fighting Boko Haram. In October, soldiers killed more than 30 civilians after a sect bomb attack.