Suspected Islamists kill Nigerian villagers collecting firewood

Suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants killed at least 18 ​villagers who had gone into the ‌bush to collect firewood in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, local leaders and security sources said. Other ​villagers were still missing after the ​attack on Thursday in Marte Local ⁠Government Area, one of the areas hardest ​hit by a 17-year-old insurgency.

Armed groups — some ​seeking to carve out a Caliphate in the region, others seeking plunder or ransoms and recruits from ​kidnappings — have killed tens of thousands ​of people and displaced millions in regular raids. Villagers ‌have ⁠come under attack as they stray into rebel areas while pushing into the bush for farming and firewood. The traditional ruler ​of Marte ​said 18…