Suicide bombers target Nigerian military headquarters

GlobalPost

Many explosions rocked a northern Nigerian city Friday, some of which were suicide bombers targeting military and secret service headquarters, the BBC reported.

Three suicide bombers drove a black SUV to Maiduguri, reported stolen the day before, toward the Joint Military Task Force headquarters, CNN reported. But they were unable to get through the gates.

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Suicide bombers blew themselves up outside of secret service, Joint Military Task Force and the State Security Service offices. "The JTF bombing looks, from all indications, (like) a suicide bomb attack. The attackers detonated the bomb at the gate," a source told the Associated Press. "No soldier was killed, but the two suicide bombers (were)."

Lt. Col. Hassan Mohammed told CNN simultaneous explosions happened at other military facilities and an unspecified number of Nigerian soldiers suffered “minor injuries.” According to a military source, another explosion occurred on Baga Road, which leads to the army barracks, the BBC reported.

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Explosions at the El-Kanemi College of Islamic Theology around the time of Friday prayers was also reported by Reuters Africa. Casualties had not been reported yet.

Maiduguri has already been a target of Islamist Boko Haram group, who has also carried out similar attacks here and in other Nigerian cities before, BBC reported. It is believed the same sect bombed the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, which killed 23 people.

On Monday security forces started door-to-door searches for weapons in northeast Borno state after an arms amnesty for Islamist militants expired, Reuters reported.

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