Nigeria: Suicide bomb kills soldiers
A car lies upside-down, vandalized on June 17 by Christian mobs in reprisal for a suicide bomb attack. Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamists claimed responsibility for suicide attacks on three churches that sparked reprisals by Christian mobs who rampaged and burned mosques, killing least 52 people.
A car bomb went off on Sunday in Nigeria, at a military checkpoint in the city of Damaturu, Reuters reported. "The lone suicide bomber detonated the bomb before the car he was in could be stopped, killing the six soldiers and one civilian," Patrick Egbmuniwe, the police commissioner for Yobe State, told Reuters. Egbmuniwe did not want to provide a hard figure for the death toll, Daily Times Nigeria reported, but Reuters counted at least eight deaths.
More from GlobalPost: When the BRICs crumble
Witnesses said that the suicide bomber rammed his car into a military vehicle as he was being chased by troops, BBC News reported. While no group has claimed responsibility for the bomb, a likely suspect is the Islamist group Boko Haram, which has frequently attacked Damaturu. The group wants Islamic law to be imposed in Nigeria.
Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.
Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.