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Boko Haram kills 150 in northeastern Nigeria raids

By Danielle Haynes

KUKAWA, Nigeria, July 2 (UPI) -- Boko Haram militants killed nearly 150 people in three Nigerian villages over the course of two days, witnesses said Thursday.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen killed 97 people Wednesday in the village of Kukawa near Lake Chad. Among the dead were women and children.

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A senior Nigerian military officer confirmed the attack on the fishing village to CNN. The official said the military conducted airstrikes on the area after the massacre.

One day earlier, gunmen raided two villages near the town of Monguno, killing 48 men, but sparing the women. Monguno is located about 17 miles southeast of Kukawa.

One resident, whose name wasn't reported, told the BBC he heard the gunshots near Monguno and saw one of the two villages on fire.

"They were praying in the mosque when Boko Haram attackers descended on the village. They waited till they finished the prayers. They gathered them in one place, separated men from women and opened fire on them," he said.

"Many died, some escaped. They then set the village on fire. I saw five victims with bullet wounds who managed to escape. They were brought to [Monguno] on wheelbarrows, before they were transferred to vehicles that took them to hospitals."

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