Nigerians battle militants, 4,000 people flee

A Nigerian official says 4,000 people have fled their homes in the northern
city of Maiduguri as troops and Islamist militants fight gunbattles for a
fourth day. Troops struggled to crush an Islamist sect in northern
Nigeriatoday as the death toll from four days of clashes surged past
300.

 The report comes a day after President Umaru Yar'Adua insisted the military
had won control of the area.

National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Apollus Jediel says about
1,000 people fled their homes in Maiduguri on Wednesday alone. His agency is
urging state governments to send relief goods to help the displaced people.

Militants seeking to impose Islamic Shariah law throughout this
multi-religious country attacked a police station in Bauchi state on Sunday.
The violence quickly spread to three other states.

Scores of people have been killed in the violence. Police say most of the
dead are militants.