15 killed in suspected Boko Haram attack in Nigeria’s Borno

At least 15 people have been killed in a bombing attack, bearing the hallmark of the Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group, in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno.

The Monday attack targeted an aid distribution point in Konduga area, about 40 kilometers from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

“(It) killed 15 people and left 43 others injured,” said a rescue worker on condition of anonymity, adding that the attack took place at 11:10 a.m. local time (1010 GMT) in the village of Mashalari.

“It happened during aid distribution by an NGO, when people had gathered to receive donations,” he said.

The rescue worker did not say which NGO was affected in the attack, but noted that two women detonated their explosives among the crowd.

Militia commanders helping Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operation confirmed the rescue worker's account.

“We have dispatched out a team to the scene,” said Babakura Kolo, from the Civilian Joint Task Force.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack but Boko Haram, the main militant group operating in Nigeria’s northeast and neighboring countries, has carried out similar bombings in the region in the past.

The group claimed an attack on August 16 in Konduga, during which three female attackers blew up their explosives outside a camp for displaced persons. It killed at least 28 people and left more than 80 others injured.

SS