22 killed in suicide attack at Nigerian mosque

MAIDUGURI , Nigeria, March 16 (UPI) -- A suicide bombing at a mosque near Maiduguri, Nigeria, early Wednesday killed 22 people and injured 18.

Two female suicide bombers launched the attacks, the first one in a mosque in the Maiduguri suburb of Molai-Umarari; the second minutes later outside the mosque. Worshipers gathering for 5 a.m. services were the primary victims.

Boko Haram is suspected of being behind Wednesday's attacks, according to a statement by Nigerian army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman.

Maiduguri, in majority-Muslim northeastern Nigeria, has long been a target for Boko Haram terrorists, who have recently given up attempting to control large sections of territory and are now targeting public spaces for suicide attacks. Many of these attacks are now launched by women.

An effort by the Nigerian army to destroy Boko Haram has driven many members into hiding, and many local residents live in camps, running low of food and water, after fleeing their villages. Boko Haram has also found new recruits, and conducted attacks in neighboring countries involved in an international coalition to fight the organization, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Nearby Benin announced this week it would join the anti-Boko Haram coalition.