suicide bomber attacked a rural market in northeast Nigeria

 

A suicide bomber attacked a rural market in northeast Nigeria on Tuesday, killing eight people and wounding at least 14, witnesses said. They blamed Boko Haram extremists.

“Most of the bodies are mutilated, heads and other parts removed,” said vendor Lami Aboki.

State legislator Jerry Kundisi said the blast killed nine people, including the bomber, and injured 14.

Cattle trader Abubakar Musa said the explosion happened near the sheep market. He told The Associated Press that he counted nine bodies at the scene.

But some including merchant Abubakar Garba said the bomb appeared to have been planted on the dirt road between the sheep market and vegetable stalls. The attack in Garkida, a rural town 165 kilometers (100 miles) north of the Adamawa state capital, Yola, was among a slew of attacks that have occurred since multinational forces broke up Boko Haram’s so-called Islamic caliphate by driving the insurgents out of all northeastern towns.

On Friday, Boko Haram recaptured the border town of Marte.

On Saturday, the military said it destroyed 10 insurgent forest camps. The same day, the Islamic extremists attacked the newly recaptured town of Sabongari Yandulam, in northeast Adamawa, killing one man and abducting six women, witnesses said.

In the boldest assault, hundreds of Boko Haram fighters last week attempted to shoot their way into the biggest military base in the northeast, Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, but met fierce resistance from troops.