At least 18 persons are killed in several suicide attacks in northeastern Nigeria
At least 18 people were killed and 30 injured, including 19 seriously, in coordinated attacks by suspected female suicide bombers in Gwoza, northeastern Nigeria, on Saturday, local authorities reported.
According to Borno State police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso, three blasts occurred on Saturday in Gwoza, a town near the Cameroon border.
One of the attacks, which happened around 3:45 pm (14:45 GMT), involved a woman with a baby strapped to her back who detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) at a crowded motor park, Daso said.
Female suicide bombers also targeted a hospital in the same town. Additionally, another attack was conducted at the funeral for victims of the wedding blast, authorities noted.
“So far, 18 deaths comprising children, men, females and pregnant women” have been reported, agency head Barkindo Saidu said in a report.
Nineteen seriously injured individuals were taken to the regional capital, Maiduguri, while 23 others awaited evacuation.
A militia member assisting the military in Gwoza mentioned that two colleagues and a soldier were killed in a separate attack on a security post, although authorities have not yet confirmed this toll.
Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are the most active armed groups in Borno.
Throughout the armed rebellion, Boko Haram has frequently used young women and girls for suicide attacks. The group seized Gwoza in 2014 when it took control of large areas in northern Borno.
The conflict has spread to neighboring Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, leading to the formation of a regional military coalition to combat these armed groups.
