At least 18 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Maiduguri, Nigeria. About 20 others were wounded in the blast that occurred during morning prayers.
Reports said two blasts went off at the mosque in the city’s Jiddari Polo area in the latest of a series of bomb attacks in the Borno State capital – birthplace of the Boko Haram militant group.
Last Friday, at least three suicide bombers blew themselves up on the outskirts of Maiduguri, killing at least four people just hours after two suicide attacks inside a mosque in the capital where 37 people died.
Nigerian national emergency officials say the blasts in the mosques were timed so that the second one killed many people who had gathered to offer help after the first blast.
Last Friday’s bombs were detonated while people were gathered for evening prayers.
While no one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, Boko Haram Islamic extremists have announced their intention to create a strict Islamic state there.
Boko Haram has staged cross-border attacks in the other nations bordering the region.
Rights group Amnesty International said this month that Boko Haram has killed at least 1,600 civilians since the start of June, and more than 3,500 civilians overall during 2015.
VOA
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