Boko Haram fighters killed 13 people in an attack on Malari village in northeast Nigeria’s restive Borno state early Sunday.

Boko Haram fighters killed 13 people in an attack on Malari village in northeast Nigeria's restive Borno state early Sunday, witnesses said.

Local farmer Moha Saleh said 27 people, including women and children, were also injured in the attack, which began when the Islamist militants stormed the village at around 1:00 am (0000 GMT).

"They also set many houses ablaze after accusing us of telling soldiers their whereabouts," he told AFP.

Maiduguri, the biggest town in northeast Nigeria, is some 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Malari.

State police commissioner Aderemi Opadokun confirmed the attack but gave a lower toll.

Malari has been the target of numerous attacks in recent months, including a suicide bombing by a youth in a mosque in the middle of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in July which left 12 people dead.

The group's bloody insurgency in Nigeria alone has left more than 15,000 people dead since 2009. In recent months, the group has increasingly expanded its operations into neighboring countries.