Heavy gunfire heard on outskirts of Nigerian city

Maiduguri - Heavy gunfire could be heard coming from the outskirts of Maiduguri in the northeast of Nigeria on Friday evening and a military source said Islamist insurgents were battling with the security forces.

"The insurgents are trying to attack the community and the military are fighting back," the source told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear exactly where the shooting was coming from nor how far it was from the centre of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and the army command centre for the fight against Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgents.

A Reuters witness in the city said the shooting subsided after about half an hour.

Boko Haram has stepped up attacks this week on civilians in Borno state, which is its main stronghold, killing more than 150 people in raids and suicide bombings since Tuesday.