Nigerian Troops Kill Two in Shootout with Boko Haram

Nigerian troops killed two suspected Boko Haram Islamist insurgents in a shootout in the northern city of Kano on Tuesday, seizing assault rifles and ammunition, a military spokesman said.

The clash followed the arrest of two armed insurgents in nearby Katsina state on Monday, said Captain Ikedichi Iweha in a statement.

"Following interrogation of the terrorists, a further cordon and search operation was also conducted this morning... at Gayawa general area of Ungogo Local Government Area" in Kano, he said.

"Two terrorists lost their lives in the resulting shootout with troops. Items recovered from them include two AK-47 rifles, five magazines, 91 rounds of 7.62 special ammunition, among other items."

Kano, Nigeria's second-largest city, has been an epicenter of Boko Haram violence since mid-2009. The Islamist group has attacked Christians, Muslims, students, politicians and other groups opposed to its ambition to impose sharia, or strict Islamic law, in northern Nigeria.

Iweha appealed to residents for useful information that could assist the military in dislodging Boko Haram fighters from the region.

Nigerian troops are waging an offensive against Boko Haram after President Goodluck Jonathan extended a state of emergency in three states in the volatile northeast in a bid to quell the sect's bloody insurgency.

The United States last week designated Boko Haram and an offshoot known as Ansaru as terror groups amid a four-year-old insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and top oil producer. The northern half is mostly Muslim and the more prosperous south is predominately Christian.