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Nigeria president appeals to U.S.

PARIS, France -- Nigeria's president -- facing fighting in his own country following anti-U.S. protests -- has urged the U.S. to ensure its "war against terror" is not a lengthy campaign.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is visiting Paris, told Le Figaro newspaper that U.S. President George W. Bush had so far responded "very well" to the September 11 attacks on the United States.

He said: "He took pains to form a coalition, which is a good thing. And he is clear on his objectives, against terrorism not against Islam. But, in order to avoid problems, it would be best if the conflict did not drag on."

Reuters quoted the Nigerian president as saying it was vital to make clear that U.S.-led air strikes in Afghanistan and on training camps linked to Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the September attacks, were not aimed at Muslims in general.

"Our responsibility, in Muslim, non-Muslim and mixed countries, is to make that clear. To explain clearly that the present action is aimed at finding terrorists and putting them on trial," he said.

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Northern Nigeria's biggest city, Kano, has seen violence in recent days, with 18 people killed at the weekend in clashes between police and anti-U.S. protesters. But despite official accounts of the number of dead, witnesses told CNN they had seen hundreds of bodies in the streets and elsewhere.

The protests began peacefully on Friday as an angry reaction to the U.S.-led airstrikes in Afghanistan, but turned violent on Saturday.

Some of the fighting was attributed to traditional rivalries between Christians and Muslims. After the violence began, many non-Muslims fled to police stations and military barracks for safety.

Nigeria's population of about 120 million is split almost evenly between Muslims and Christians.

"We have instructions to shoot any rioters on sight," a police officer at Kano central police station told Reuters on Monday. There were reports that one person was shot dead.

Nigeria has faced an increase in ethnic or religious bloodshed since army rule ended in 1999.

RESOURCES Message Board: Inside Africa

There was violence early last year following the introduction of strict Islamic sharia law in parts of predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria.

Last month, hundreds of people were reported dead in fighting in the central city of Jos.