REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MAIDUGURI -- Boko Haram fighters killed 13 people in an attack on Malari village in northeast Nigeria's restive Borno state early Sunday, witnesses said.

Local farmer Moha Saleh said 27 people, including women and children, were also injured in the attack, which began when the Islamist militants stormed the village at around 1:00 am (0000 GMT).

"They also set many houses ablaze after accusing us of telling soldiers their whereabouts," he told AFP.

A local vigilante, Goni Musa, confirmed the death toll.

"They burnt down houses and shops before they left, yelling 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great). Our terrorised women and children fled into the bush and returned to Maiduguri this morning," he added.

Maiduguri, the biggest town in northeast Nigeria, is some 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Malari.

"This morning 13 bodies were recovered, some had been shot in the back, which means they were fleeing when the terrorists killed them," Musa said.

Malari has been the target of many attacks in recent months, including a suicide bombing by a youth in a mosque in the middle of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in July which left 12 people dead.

Boko Haram has carried out raids and suicide bombings in Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

The group's bloody insurgency in Nigeria alone has left more than 15,000 people dead since 2009.

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