Eleven farmers killed in IS attack in northeast Nigeria

BAGHDAD, Iraq — At least 11 farmers were killed in attacks by armed groups in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state on Saturday, a regional militia said. Seven farmers who had gathered in the village of Kauwa were killed by militants affiliated with Islamic State West Africa Province, the group's local splinter from Boko Haram. Four more farmers were killed the same day in fields near Kross Kauwa, around 50 kilometers from the town of Monguno, in the Lake Chad area. Babakura Kulo, a fighter with a local self-defense militia, told AFP that the bodies of the seven farmers killed in Kauwa were recovered and buried the same day. Self-defense militia members in the region attributed the attacks to Islamic State West Africa Province. Farmers, woodcutters and herders have long been targeted by the group on suspicion of spying for Nigerian forces and armed self-defense groups. The attacks come after 17 farmers were killed and five others wounded last week in Zamfara state in northwestern Nigeria, an assault local officials blamed on bandit groups. The northern regions, which account for roughly 70 percent of the country's grain production, have seen a steady decline in agricultural activity, raising the risk of poverty and food insecurity for millions of Nigerians already facing hunger.