Nigeria: 1 soldier killed in suspected sect attack

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – A Nigerian soldier has been killed and another wounded in a suspected attack by a radical Muslim sect in northeastern Nigeria.

Borno state Police Commissioner Mohammed Abubakar on Sunday said the attack on the soldiers came early Saturday morning as the two men ate at a local restaurant. A witness told The Associated Press that the assailants fired a Kalashnikov rifle at the soldiers from a motorbike.

Authorities believe it is another attack by members of Boko Haram, a Muslim sect whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language. The group's members have emerged recently from hiding after starting a July 2009 riot, which led to a security crackdown that left 700 people dead.

Authorities accuse them of killing local officials in recent weeks.