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Explosions in Jos, Nigeria, kill at least 44

The bombing at the mosque may have been an assassination attempt against its imam.

By Ed Adamczyk
At least 44 people died in two bomb attacks Sunday night believed to have been initiated by the militant Boko Haram, in Jos, Nigeria. Photo courtesy of Google maps.
At least 44 people died in two bomb attacks Sunday night believed to have been initiated by the militant Boko Haram, in Jos, Nigeria. Photo courtesy of Google maps.

JOS, Nigeria, July 6 (UPI) -- At least 44 people died in two bomb attacks, believed to have been initiated by the militant Boko Haram, in Jos, Nigeria.

The attacks came Sunday night, shortly after the Ramadan fast ended. A bomb at a crowded restaurant killed 23, and another bomb killed 21 at a mosque, the country's National Emergency Management Agency reported, noting the explosive device at the Shagalinku restaurant was planted, while a suicide bomber entered the crowded mosque. The bombs exploded 15 minutes apart.

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The mosque's leader, Shiekh Muhammad Sani Yahya Jingir, is a prominent critic of Boko Haram, the anti-western militant group responsible for numerous attacks in Nigeria in the past three years. He has also been a frequent target of assassination attempts.

Over 200 people have been killed in similar incidents in Nigeria in recent days, including five who died in a church bombing Sunday.

Boko Haram members typically operate in the northeastern part of the country and although Jos, a city of about 900,000 in central Nigeria has been the site of incidents, it has blamed on Boko Haram, in the past. Fifteen people died in an explosion in February and 30 were killed in a blast in Jos in December 2014.

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