LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Christians and Muslims have clashed for years in central Nigeria, a conflict that took an unexpected turn when Islamist insurgents based in the northeast claimed responsibility for deadly weekend raids on Christian villages.

Many initially blamed Muslim herdsmen for the raids in Plateau state. Hundreds of assailants armed with guns and machetes stormed a dozen Christian villages on Saturday, said Capt. Mustapha Saliu, a spokesman for a special unit of police and soldiers deployed to halt violence in the area. Some attackers wore police uniforms and bullet-proof vests, he said.

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