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Lawyers to Argue Charles Taylor Sentencing

Sierra Leone's U.N.-backed war crimes court will hear arguments Wednesday on the sentencing of Liberian warlord Charles Taylor, who has been convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Prosecutors before the Special Court for Sierra Leone are to say why they think Taylor, 64, should receive an 80-year term in a British jail, while his defense, which claims that his conviction was "bought," will argue in mitigation.

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Islamist Militants Killed, Hurt in Nigeria Attack on Troops

Soldiers in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri killed a suspected member of the Boko Haram Islamist sect and wounded two others on Wednesday after repelling an attack, the army said.

"The JTF (Joint Task Force)... at about 11:15 hours (1015 GMT) today... successfully repelled a suspected Boko Haram attack on one of its locations," an army spokesman said in a statement.

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Lebanese Man Killed, Another Abducted in Nigeria

Gunmen in northern Nigeria's Kaduna state on Monday shot dead a Lebanese man and his Nigerian driver and abducted another Lebanese national, the state police spokesman said.

"The gunmen attacked the construction bus in which they were traveling, shot dead a Lebanese and the Nigerian driver and kidnapped another Lebanese," Aminu Lawan told Agence France Presse on telephone from Kaduna city.

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At Least 34 Dead in Attack on Nigerian Cattle Market

Gunmen armed with explosives killed at least 34 people in northeastern Nigeria when they attacked a cattle market and burned it to the ground, residents and officials said Thursday.

The attack Wednesday night in the city of Potiskum was said to be in reprisal for an incident earlier in the day, when a gang sought to rob the market but was fought off by traders who caught one of the attackers, police said.

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In Northern Nigeria, Islamic Police Play Matchmaker

A line of women wait their turn at a building in northern Nigeria, ready to participate in a program local officials hope will bring two results: marriage and peace.

Love might have to come later.

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Nigeria Christians Issue 'Final' Warning over Islamist Attacks

The head of Nigeria's Christians on Wednesday issued a "final" warning to the government that it must bring an end to attacks targeting the faithful after a new surge in deadly violence in recent days.

"I will now make a final call to the Nigerian government to use all resources available to it to clearly define and neutralize the problem as other nations have done," Ayo Oritsejafor, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, told reporters.

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'Boko Haram' Video Claims Newspaper Attack, Threatens More Bombings

A video purportedly from Islamist group Boko Haram on Tuesday showed footage of last week's attack on a Nigerian newspaper and threatens news outlets, including two foreign organizations.

The YouTube video includes spoken threats against several Nigerian news organizations as well as the Voice of America and Radio France International services in the Hausa language, which is spoken in northern Nigeria.

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Nigerian Troops Raid Suspected Boko Haram Hideout

Nigerian troops raided Tuesday a suspected hideout of Boko Harem used for its violent attacks in the northern city of Kano, killing one Islamist and recovering some arms and ammunitions.

An Agence France Presse reporter who visited the scene said a military task force stormed the two-bedroom bungalow at Bubbugaje in the outskirts of the city around 4:30 am and engaged the insurgents in a shootout.

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5 Killed in Suicide Blast in Northeast Nigeria

Two motorcycle-riding suicide bombers drove into a convoy carrying a top police official in northeast Nigeria on Monday, detonating their explosives and killing at least five people, authorities said.

The attack targeted police commissioner Mamman Sule who was being driven in a convoy toward his offices, near the governor's office in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba state, said police spokesman Ibiang Mbaseki. The bombers missed injuring Sule, but the explosives caused massive damage at a roadside market and blew out the glass windows of the nearby state Ministry of Finance building, witnesses said.

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Around 20 Killed in Attack on Church Services in Northern Nigeria

Attackers armed with bombs and guns opened fire at outdoor church services at a Nigerian university Sunday, killing around 20 people as worshippers tried to flee, witnesses and officials said.

A powerful explosion and gunfire rocked Bayero University in the northern city of Kano, with witnesses reporting that two church services were targeted as they were being held outdoors on the campus.

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