Two female suicide bombers detonated explosive devices around 11:00 a.m. yesterday in a crowded market area in the Borno state capital of Maiduguri. At least 78 people have been reported killed in the attack and several more injured.
The timing of the two suicide bombings was staggered. According to Reuters, the first bomber “entered the roadside trading area behind the city’s main market before blowing herself up.” She killed herself and three other women.
The second explosion occurred shortly afterward, as people came to the aid of the victims of the first bombing. A chicken vendor who worked nearby informed AFP that the female bomber was carrying the explosives on her back, in the way babies are carried. He commented: “She manoeuvred her way to the scene of the earlier explosion … I think it was a deliberate plan to inflict much pain on unsuspecting people because the second explosion went off after many people gathered at the scene of the first one.”
No one has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s double suicide attack, but it is suspected to be part of Boko Haram’s ongoing offensive in northeastern Nigeria. On July 1, the same market was targeted by a suicide car bombing. At least 18 people were killed and over 50 injured in that suspected Boko Haram attack.
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1 Comment
Any indications as to whether the attackers were also kidnap victims? Age would be one indicator.