Blast near Mosque in Northeast Nigeria Kills 4
An explosion killed four people in the violence-torn city Nigerian city of Maiduguri as Muslim faithful left a mosque after Friday prayers, the military and residents said.
The blast comes after a series of Christmas attacks blamed on Islamist sect Boko Haram killed at least 42 people, most of them outside a Catholic church near the capital Abuja, and raised fears of reprisals from Christians.
"There was a loud blast near the mosque just after the Friday prayers as people were trooping out of the mosque," one resident said. "Everybody scampered to safety, leading to a stampede."
Another resident, Mohammed Bukar, reported four dead and others wounded.
"There was confusion following the blast," he said. "When the dust settled, I saw four dead people being loaded into a vehicle along with some wounded in the blast."
A spokesman for a military task force in the region confirmed the blast but could not immediately provide details.
"It's true there was a blast near Monday market while people were leaving the mosque. We don't have details yet," said Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Mohammed.
Boko Haram has carried out scores of attacks in Nigeria, most of them in the northeast. The group's targets in that region have included Muslim leaders.
Thousands have fled Maiduguri fearing further attacks by Boko Haram and heavy-handed military raids, with soldiers accused of killing civilians and burning their homes after bomb blasts.
Christian leaders have expressed mounting frustration over the Nigerian authorities' inability to stop attacks that have killed hundreds of people this year.
They have said they will be forced to defend themselves if the authorities do not address the problem.
Amid the mounting concerns over reprisals, a bomb was thrown into an Arabic school on Tuesday in Delta state in southern Nigeria, wounding six children and an adult.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.
Violence had been raging even in the days before the Christmas bombings, especially in the northeastern cities of Damaturu, Potiskum and Maiduguri.
Another attack hit the northeast on Wednesday night, when gunmen opened fire and threw explosives at a hotel and open-air bar in the city of Gombe, wounding 15 people, the hotel manager said.
The motive for that attack was not clear, though Boko Haram has often targeted bars.
In Damaturu last week, suspected members of Boko Haram carried out attacks followed by a military crackdown that led to clashes. A rights group and police source said up to 100 people were feared dead in the violence.
An emergency official has said an estimated 90,000 people have been displaced in Damaturu.
30 December 2011, 22:05
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yousefhaddad, because of christians? If you dont like my answer then shut the hell up and look at yourself and your own religion who has murdered more than anyone else, both eachother and others and still do. And if your lebanese (which i doubt) then you are the last to speak because the maronites have an extremly bad record when it comes to murdering, raping, terrorizing, pedophiling and other filth, both against each other and against each others.
31 December 2011, 03:40
22
What a beautiful comment, it prooves what kind of scum one is dealing with. Keep em coming and show the world what your cross teaches you to say. By the way, who made the maronites kill each other? oh i forgot, the muslims told you to murder and terrorize eachother. Lol. And it was the muslims who told you to rape muslim children right? You think you were defending yourself by murdering and terrorizing civilian Muslims, orthodox, druze and what not? My oh my. You should talk to some relatives of mine who saw what you guys did to shias and others. Defence? more like a crusade run by satan. Remember when LF used to take non-LF maronites up the helicopter and then throw them out so they land on the ground or the sea? i guess muslims are to blame.
All these bad wishes you wish only end up coming back to you so please continue wishing bad things, its clear you are miserable and cant find happiness in life, this is why you are so angry with life.
31 December 2011, 03:40
22
Besides didnt jesus say, turn the other cheak, forgive, dont curse, dont lie, dont judge and a bunch of other stuff your comments contradict..
Enjoy living your life outside of lebanon because lebanon will never be your homeland or your country.
31 December 2011, 23:06
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Mansour, i will not reply to your comment because it is typical hate, racism and terrorism coming from maronites. Sweatning demon, the first in this land were pagans, not christians and when christianity gained foot in lebanon, it was via the orthodox church, not by the maronite church who were expelled by orthodox munks in syria. I dont hate christians, i hate hypocrisy, something that maronites have plenty of. Jesus said turn the other cheak meaning avoid confrontation yet your fellow maronites keep attacking muslims and islam on naharnet. And during the war, most of the tens of thousands killed by maronites were civilians so please dont change the truth to your liking. Im simply saying look at yourselfs before pointing fingers at others. I never said muslims dont do wrong. Lol do you really think western countries are majority christian? They are majority non religious actually. Even christmas is celebrated as a cultural holiday rather than a religious one.
31 December 2011, 23:11
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Besides, its not your job or right to tell muslims where they can and cant go. Muslims are only returning the favour. The europeans colonialized muslims so now God has punished them by having millions of muslims end up in europe and becoming the fastest growing religion there and it will continue to increase. You are imagining being prosecuted in the middle east such as in iraq when over 1 million muslims were killed in iraq compared to less than 1000 christians, nonne of which would have happened had the christian USA not occupied iraq like they did. Oh and if you want a crusade, then just try to go on one in lebanon and you will make sure we no longer give you room to stay in lebanon. We were nice who let you in when the orthodox kicked you out of syria and you repayed us by massacres.
