At least two people were killed on Monday by a car suicide bomb at a
checkpoint on the outskirts of Damaturu, capital of Yobe state
in
northern Nigeria, witnesses and a hospital source said.
The
checkpoint is on a major highway that connects the city with Borno state
capital Maiduguri. The road and villages along it are frequently hit by
bombs or raids by suspected members of Islamist jihadi group Boko
Haram.
“We were stopped by the army at a checkpoint. There was an
SUV (sports utility vehicle) about five cars away from us. I believe two
people were in that car … One came out and suddenly there was a loud
sound and smoke filled the air,” Ahmed Mohammed, who was driving towards
Damaturu from Maiduguri, said.
A hospital source said they had received two bodies and were treating three people for injuries.
On
Thursday, at least nine people were killed in Damaturu by a young
female suicide bomber as worshippers gathered to mark the Muslim holiday
Eid al-Fitr. Fifty people were killed by bombs on Friday in another
northeastern city, Gombe.
Boko Haram controlled a swathe of land
around the size of Belgium at the end of 2014, but were pushed out of
most of that territory by Nigerian troops, with military help from
neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
But while they are dispersed, the militants are still able to carry out attacks in northern Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
President
Muhammadu Buhari has flown to the United States and is due to meet with
President Barack Obama to discuss increased U.S. military assistance to
quash the insurgency.
Source: PM News
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