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11/02/2024 01:35:40 pm

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Teen Female Suicide Bombers Kill 30 In Maiduguri, Boko Haram Suspected

Bomb attack on Maiduguri, Nigeria

(Photo : REUTERS/Stringer) Two boys stand near the charred chassis of a vehicle after a bomb attack near a busy market area in Ajilari-Gomari near the city's airport, in Maiduguri on March 2, 2014.

At least 30 people were killed on Tuesday after two teen female suicide bombers linked to terror group Boko Haram targeted a busy market in Nigeria's northeastern provincial capital of Maiduguri.

The two girls, both dressed in hijabs, set off their explosives at Maiduguri's bustling market, the Associated Press relayed, citing Abba Aji Kalli, an official with the Borno State civilian task force.

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The first bomb, which killed about three people, appears to have served as bait. While other civilians had gathered to help those injured from the initial blast, the second bomb detonated, Sani Adamu, a witness, said.

Tuesday's attack comes less than five months since a car bomb went off in the same market in July, CBS News reported.

While no group has owned-up to the incident, many believe the attack mirrors those of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram's, which has persisted in its terror campaign in the region for the past half decade.

The Independent claims Boko Haram made use of female suicide bombers in recent attacks, citing Nigerian authorities who attribute the alarming rise of women bombers to the fact that females are less likely to be viewed with suspicion.

On Sunday, a female suicide bomber struck at a cell phone market in northeast Azare, Bauchi. Ten people were killed with 60 others injured from the blast.

The Azare attack reportedly triggered a violent protest that saw locals parading the bomber's severed head along the town streets. Witness accounts alleged an angry mob killed a man believed to have been linked to the female bomber.

The Nigerian government denied speculation circulating on social media that the 200 Chibok girls Boko Haram abducted in April had been turned into suicide bombers following a suicide attack in northern Kano carried out by four teenage girls.

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