Nigeria: Suspected female suicide bombers kill at least 18

April 8, 2015, a woman walks past Nigerian Soldiers at a checkpoint in Gwoza, Nigeria, a town newly liberated from Boko Haram.
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Lekan Oyekanmi/AP

Nigeria

Suicide bombers in Gwoza, northeastern Nigeria killed at least 18 people on Saturday (Jun. 29).

The first suicide bomber detonated an explosive device during a marriage celebration at about 3 p.m., Barkindo Saidu, director-general of Borno State Emergency Management Agency, told reporters.

“Minutes later, another blast occurred near General Hospital,” Saidu said, and then there was a third attack at a funeral service by a female bomber disguised as a mourner. Children and pregnant women were among those killed.

The death comprised adult males, females, and children, according to the radio station.

No one has so far claimed responsibility for the the attacks, but Gwoza is in Borno state, which has been heavily impacted by an insurgency launched in 2009 by Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group.

From its origins in the state, it has threatened the security of the Nigeria and destabilized the Lake Chad region.

In the past, Boko Haram has used women and girls in suicide bombings, prompting suspicions that some from the many thousands that they have kidnapped over the years. The resurgence of suicide bombings in Borno raises significant concerns about the security situation in the region.