Amnesty: 1,500 killed this year by extremists and military reprisals in Nigerian uprising

LAGOS, Nigeria – Amnesty International says increasing atrocities by extremists and uncontrolled reprisals by security forces have killed at least 1,500 people this year in northeastern Nigeria’s Islamic uprising.

The London-based advocacy group accuses both sides of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and calls for an international investigation. The charges come in a new report published Monday.

It says more than half of those killed are civilians slaughtered in extremist attacks.

It says nearly all the other deaths involve soldiers gunning down unarmed detainees freed in a March 14 attack on the main military barracks in Maiduguri city.

Amnesty says it has witnesses and satellite imagery indicating more than 600 people were killed that day and buried in three mass graves.

It was the bloodiest day on record in the 4-year-old uprising.