REVEALED: How Female Suicide Bombers Attacked 2 Nigerian State Capitals
BAUCHI, Nigeria – Suspected Islamic extremists struck in two state capitals in northeastern Nigeria today, with a deadly double bombing at a...
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BAUCHI, Nigeria – Suspected Islamic extremists struck in two state capitals in northeastern Nigeria today, with a deadly double bombing at a crowded market and an attack on a police base.
The attacks were the latest in a week of violence linked to Islamic militants that has killed more than 170 people in northern Nigeria. And some fear Boko Haram, which is being blamed for the attacks, is using kidnapped schoolgirls as suicide bombers.
Rescue workers were removing bodies and wounded people from the Maiduguri market, the same one where two female suicide bombers killed at least 70 people a week ago, said trader Bala Dauda.
Police spokesman Gideon Jubrin said it’s too early to give a toll in Maiduguri.
“I can’t say how many were killed or injured but I have seen very many victims dripping with blood, others with parts of their bodies dismembered by the blasts,” Dauda said by telephone.
Todaly’s blasts also were caused by “two girls,” said witness Mallam Muhammadu.
After the explosions, young men in vigilante groups barricaded some Maiduguri roads to try to ensure safety in the city. These community defense groups and security forces are accused of summary executions and other rights abuses of people they believe are extremists.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Maiduguri blasts but people blamed Boko Haram, the Islamic extremist group that has carried out many such attacks in a five-year insurgency that has killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Boko Haram is holding a couple dozen cities and towns along Nigeria’s northeast border where it has declared an Islamic caliphate. The extremists frequently attack moderate Muslims they accuse of collaborating with the secular government and are holding hundreds of hostages, including 219 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok town.
In Damaturu, explosions and gunfire erupted before dawn today, causing some residents to flee into the bush and others to cower in their homes. Damaturu, the provincial capital of Yobe state, is about 85 miles west of Maiduguri, which is the capital of Borno state.
The militants targeted a rapid-response police base on the outskirts of Damaturu, said resident Garba Musa.
“It has been burned down completely,” he said.
The Defense Ministry headquarters said a fighter jet was repelling the attackers. A helicopter gunship was hovering over the town.
Civil servant Abdullahi Abba said his family was hiding in the bush. “We’ve been hearing these gunshots and bombs since the early hours and felt unsafe staying at home.” He said they hoped to trek to the nearby town of Tarmuwa.
“We don’t know where to hide, the shooting is all over … We are running for our lives,” said resident Musa Abbas.
The attacks on the two state capitals show an acceleration of the extremist violence in northeastern Nigeria.
Boko Haram, the West African’s nation’s homegrown Islamic extremist group, has been striking with increased frequency and deadliness since the military declared the insurgents had agreed to a ceasefire in September.
On Friday, bomb blasts and gunfire killed more than 100 people praying at the main mosque in northern Kano, Nigeria’s second largest city.
Source: AP
Rescue workers were removing bodies and wounded people from the Maiduguri market, the same one where two female suicide bombers killed at least 70 people a week ago, said trader Bala Dauda.
Police spokesman Gideon Jubrin said it’s too early to give a toll in Maiduguri.
“I can’t say how many were killed or injured but I have seen very many victims dripping with blood, others with parts of their bodies dismembered by the blasts,” Dauda said by telephone.
Todaly’s blasts also were caused by “two girls,” said witness Mallam Muhammadu.
After the explosions, young men in vigilante groups barricaded some Maiduguri roads to try to ensure safety in the city. These community defense groups and security forces are accused of summary executions and other rights abuses of people they believe are extremists.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Maiduguri blasts but people blamed Boko Haram, the Islamic extremist group that has carried out many such attacks in a five-year insurgency that has killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Boko Haram is holding a couple dozen cities and towns along Nigeria’s northeast border where it has declared an Islamic caliphate. The extremists frequently attack moderate Muslims they accuse of collaborating with the secular government and are holding hundreds of hostages, including 219 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok town.
In Damaturu, explosions and gunfire erupted before dawn today, causing some residents to flee into the bush and others to cower in their homes. Damaturu, the provincial capital of Yobe state, is about 85 miles west of Maiduguri, which is the capital of Borno state.
The militants targeted a rapid-response police base on the outskirts of Damaturu, said resident Garba Musa.
“It has been burned down completely,” he said.
The Defense Ministry headquarters said a fighter jet was repelling the attackers. A helicopter gunship was hovering over the town.
Civil servant Abdullahi Abba said his family was hiding in the bush. “We’ve been hearing these gunshots and bombs since the early hours and felt unsafe staying at home.” He said they hoped to trek to the nearby town of Tarmuwa.
“We don’t know where to hide, the shooting is all over … We are running for our lives,” said resident Musa Abbas.
The attacks on the two state capitals show an acceleration of the extremist violence in northeastern Nigeria.
Boko Haram, the West African’s nation’s homegrown Islamic extremist group, has been striking with increased frequency and deadliness since the military declared the insurgents had agreed to a ceasefire in September.
On Friday, bomb blasts and gunfire killed more than 100 people praying at the main mosque in northern Kano, Nigeria’s second largest city.
Source: AP
