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Nigeria's election next month is a factor behind the sharp increase in attacks by聽Boko聽Haram聽Islamist militants in the north of the country, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.

厂辫辞办别蝉飞辞尘补苍听Marie Harf聽said, however, that the Feb. 14 presidential election should go forward despite the violence, which the聽United Nations聽and human rights groups say has forced about 20,000 Nigerians to flee to neighboring countries in recent weeks.

"There has been a sharp escalation in the number of reported casualties," Harf told a daily briefing. "We do believe the election is a factor."

Harf said聽Boko聽Haram聽previously used events such as elections to stir up tensions. The election is expected to be a close contest between President聽Goodluck Jonathan聽and his leading challenger Muhammadu Buhari.

"Boko聽Haram聽has tended to, particularly around something like an election, use political issues or sensitivities to try to enflame tensions," she said. "We have seen that as one of their tactics and that is why it is so important to move forward with the election, because we believe it's important."

Boko聽Haram's insurgency began in 2009, but the number and scale of the attacks has risen sharply since last year after the government imposed emergency rule in three worst-hit states in聽northern Nigeria.

Amnesty International has said聽Boko聽Haram聽may have killed some 2,000 people around Jan. 3 in Baga innorthern Nigeria. Harf said it was hard to independently verify that figure. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Will Dunham and Andre Grenon)