NIGERIA: THREE KILLED IN TWIN SUICIDE BOMB ATTACK IN MAIDUGURI

NIGERIA: THREE KILLED IN TWIN SUICIDE BOMB ATTACK IN MAIDUGURI

.

Three people were killed and more than 30 were injured in a twin suicide bomb attack in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, militia sources and residents told AFP on Sunday.

.

Two female bombers on Saturday, April 7 detonated their explosives among a crowd in Muna Dalti on the outskirts of Borno state capital Maiduguri, the birthplace of the Boko Haram jihadist group.

.

“They came around 8:00 pm and detonated their suicide vests,” Umar Ari, a local militia leader, said.

.

“They killed three people and seriously injured 33 others,” said Ari, who was involved in the evacuation of victims.

.

Two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force militia and a civilian were killed, according to Bello Dambatta, the Head of the Rapid Response Team of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, Channels TV reported.

.

Residents gathered Sunday morning for the funeral of the three victims.

.

The scene of the bombings, a popular night time venue for residents, has been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram suicide attacks, said resident Gremah Umar. The area houses a sprawling camp for thousands of people displaced by violence.

.

The attacks there were largely blamed on the Boko Haram faction loyal to Abubakar Shekau, infamous for suicide attacks on civilian targets including schools and mosques.

.

On February 15, Boko Haram insurgents believed to be loyal to Shekau killed at least eight people in a suicide bomb and gun attack in Maiduguri. Two months earlier, five people were injured when a female suicide bomber detonated her vest at a checkpoint in Maiduguri on December 2. The bomber and an accomplice were killed.

.

The jihadist group known as Boko Haram split into two factions in mid-2016. One led by long-time leader Shekau is notorious for suicide bombings and indiscriminate killings of civilians. Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in March 2015, but ISIS central only gives formal backing to the other faction, which it calls Islamic State West Africa province.

.

The ISWA faction, which largely focuses on attacking military and government targets, was led by Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, but last month, audio recordings revealed that ISIS appointed Abu Abdullah Idris bin Umar, also known as Ibn Umar al-Barnawi, as leader. ISIS has not yet made a public statement confirming the change.

.

Boko Haram’s bloody insurgency began in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 but has since spread into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military response. Some 27,000 people have been killed and two million others displaced, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

.

Credit: The Defense Post – 7 April 2019

https://thedefensepost.com/2019/04/07/nigeria-suicide-attack-muna-dalti-maiduguri/

FOLLOW US 👇

https://facebook.com/alhaqcentre2020

https://twitter.com/alhaqcentre

https://instagram.com/alhaqcentre