[ 2014-03-02 ]

'Many dead' in twin Nigeria blasts
Two explosions targeting a busy market in the town
of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria have left
several people dead.

Eyewitnesses told the Reuters news agency that
that 10 people had been killed and that more were
feared trapped under rubble.

Maiduguri is the headquarters of a military force
fighting against the Boko Haram Islamist group,
which has stepped up its attacks in the area.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the
attack.

Eyewitnesses said that the attack was carried out
using a car bomb at a crowded market near the
airport.

The second bomb went off two minutes later as
neighbours arrived to help the victims.

Eyewitnesses described seeing people blown apart
and body parts in the street.

Airstrike

In a separate incident, eyewitnesses told the BBC
that 20 people were killed in a government
airstrike in the village of Daglun on Friday.

Military jets have been bombing the area for weeks
as part of a campaign against the Boko Haram
group.

An army spokesman told the Associated Press that
he was unaware of the death of any civilians in an
airstrike.

President Jonathan declared a state of emergency
in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states last year in an
attempt to curb the insurgency.

His critics say the state of emergency has been
ineffective, with Boko Haram stepping up attacks
in the region.

The group is thought to have killed at least 37
people during an assault on a town and nearby
villages Adamawa state on Thursday.

It was also blamed for killing at least 29 people
in an attack on Monday night on a rural boarding
school in Yobe state.

Boko Haram has been conducting a four-year
campaign of violence to push for Islamic rule in
northern Nigeria.

Source - BBC

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