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26 July 2015
- From the section Africa
A girl aged about 10 has carried out a suicide bombing in north-eastern Nigeria, killing at least 16 people, police say.
The attack took place near a crowded market in the city of Damaturu in Yobe state. About 50 people were wounded.
No group has said it was behind the attack but Islamists Boko Haram have been blamed for similar bombings in recent months.
Two female suicide bombers killed nine people in the city earlier in July.
Yobe police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said that the latest attack happened on Sunday morning.
He said the child detonated her explosives in a crowd of people being screened by security services before they were let into the market.
In the previous attack on 17 July, two female bombers – one also aged about 10 – killed people waiting to say prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid.
The army said the blasts targeted a venue where volunteers were waiting to screen worshippers.
Boko Haram has recently stepped up its campaign of violence after being pushed back by Nigerian forces backed by troops from several neighbouring countries.
Boko Haram at a glance
- Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing Western-style education – Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language
- Launched military operations in 2009
- Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria, abducted hundreds, including at least 200 schoolgirls
- Joined Islamic State, now calls itself “West African province”
- Seized large area in north-east, where it declared caliphate
- Regional force has retaken most territory this year
