Twin blasts have rocked a market in the city of Gombe, Nigeria leaving 30 people dead, witnesses said, reports Aljazeera. Since the beginning of Ramadan on June 18, Boko Haram attacks have killed about 400 people. “For now we have 13 dead bodies brought to the hospital”, a senior medic said. It has been increasingly common for Boko Haram to use women and girls to hide their suicide vests, however some suggest that it is not necessarily done willingly as many think that those bombs are detonated through a remote, rather than suicide bombers.
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The source went on to say that a second blast occurred about two minutes after the first one.
Usman said two female suicide bombers carried out the attacks.
Recently installed Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will meet President Barack Obama on Monday and is expected to discuss his government’s drive to defeat Boko Haram, which identifies itself as an ally of Islamic extremist group ISIS, CNN reported. The bombings, which reportedly killed nine people, occurred at approximately 6:40 GMT on Friday in the Nigerian city of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, which is located about 700 miles (1100 kilometers) northeast of Lagos.
On Friday, just as the three attacks in Damaturu were taking place, Nigeria’s newly appointed army chief Maj.
Relations suffered in the latter part of former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan’s rule, with Abuja considering USA aid to fight Boko Haram insufficient.
The west African nation decided to halt a United States training programme for an army battalion which would have developed into a unit to take on the militants.
Since 2009, USCIRF has recommended that Nigeria be designated a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for systemic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, but so far the US State Department has failed to heed this counsel despite the reams of evidence that back it up. The course includes the study of democracy, human rights and respect for minorities.
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Back in February, the four countries of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria launched a campaign, together with a contingent from Benin, to confront the threat from Boko Haram militants in the region.
