Teen Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens in Mosque

At least 50 dead in Nigeria attack
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 21, 2017 12:33 AM CST
At Least 50 Killed in Suicide Mosque Bombing
Nigerian troops patrol in the northeastern city of Mubi,.   (AP Photo/str)

A teenage suicide bomber detonated his explosives as worshippers gathered for morning prayers at a mosque in northeastern Nigeria on Tuesday, killing at least 50 people in one of the region's deadliest attacks in years, police say. Police spokesman Othman Abubakar tells the AP they are "still trying to ascertain the number of injured because they are in various hospitals." While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing in Mubi town in Adamawa state, suspicion immediately fell on the Boko Haram extremist group.

Boko Haram is based in neighboring Borno state and has been blamed for scores of similar attacks over the years. The group increasingly has been using teenagers or young women as bombers, many of whom have been abducted. The police spokesman said the young man detonated his explosives while mingling among the worshippers. While Nigeria's military in recent months has flushed Boko Haram from its forest stronghold, President Muhammadu Buhari's claim late last year that the extremist group had been "crushed" has proven to be premature.

(More Nigeria stories.)

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