Suicide bombers target Eid celebrations in Nigeria
As Abubakr Shekau’s Boko Haram was holding its own Eid al Fitr celebrations in northeastern Nigeria, it launched coordinated suicide bombings on civilians also celebrating the Islamic holiday.
As Abubakr Shekau’s Boko Haram was holding its own Eid al Fitr celebrations in northeastern Nigeria, it launched coordinated suicide bombings on civilians also celebrating the Islamic holiday.
Three suicide bombers, including two girls, targeted a mosque and a Quranic school in Diffa, Niger, on Monday. The three are believed to have been sent by Abubakr Shekau’s Boko Haram faction.
Yesterday’s suicide bombing continues to prove the residual threat of jihadist violence in northeastern Nigeria.
At least 50 people were killed by a suicide bomber during morning prayers at a local mosque in northeastern Nigeria. No group has claimed the attack, but it fits with the modus operandi of that of Abubakr Shekau’s faction.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies abroad on Friday commemorated Qods (Jerusalem) Day, an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan and established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to express support for Palestinians and opposition to Israel. The regime has not shied away from reiterating its call for Israel’s destruction during the annual event.
At least a dozen females and another five males have been used in suicide attacks so far this month. The rate of which females are used in this tactic remain on pace to quadruple in 2017 compared to last year.
Despite a relative lull in the use of females in suicide bombings in 2016 compared to 2015, West Africa is currently seeing a significant uptick in the use of females so far in 2017.
A letter recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound reveals that a senior AQIM commander recommended that his group train Boko Haram’s forces. Other official sources confirm that AQIM did provide the training and also groomed part of Boko Haram’s leadership. However, one of the Boko Haram leaders identified in the letter later cofounded a splinter group known as Ansaru, which rejects Boko Haram’s policies. Ansaru has been supported by AQIM.