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Boko Haram suspected of abducting 60 women, girls in Nigeria

They were taken from two villages in northeastern Nigeria.

By Ed Adamczyk

ABUJA, Nigeria, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Sixty women and girls were abducted by suspected Boko Haram militants in Nigeria's Adamawa state, less than a week after a truce agreement.

They were taken from the Madagali district, witnesses and an unidentified security official said. Neither the Nigerian government nor Boko Haram confirmed the abductions, but they occurred a day after the Nigerian military announced a cease-fire agreement with Boko Haram on Oct. 17.

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It was hoped the truce would encourage the return of about 200 women kidnapped by Boko Haram in April. News of the abductions came as the Nigerian Parliament approved a $1 billion loan to upgrade the capability of the army fighting the insurgency, which seeks to establish a Muslim caliphate in Nigeria and reduce the influence of Western education.

The Boko Haram campaign has killed over 13,000 people in Nigeria since 2009.

In a separate incident, an explosion in the northeastern town of Azare Wednesday in a bus parking lot killed five people and injured 12. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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