KANO: A suicide attack in Nigeria’s Borno state by a woman allegedly acting for Boko Haram has killed at least 20 anti-jihadist fighters, militia fighters said AFP on Saturday.
Police have confirmed 10 people have been killed and said the overall toll could be higher.
Late on Friday, a woman allegedly detonated explosives strapped to her body at a haunt for vigilantes and local hunters assisting the Nigerian military in fighting “jihadists” in the town of Konduga, the militia told AFP.
“We lost 20 people in the suicide attack which happened yesterday around 9:15 p.m. (2015 GMT) while our members were hanging out near the fish market,” said Tijjani Ahmed, the head of an anti-jihadist militia in Konduga district.
Konduga is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern state of Borno.
Surrounding villages have been repeatedly targeted by suicide bombers said to be acting for Boko Haram, a group of armed Islamic militants that has been active in the area for at least 16 years.
Konduga town itself had seen a lull in such attacks in the past year.
“Eighteen people died on the spot, while 18 others were injured. Two more died in hospital, raising the death toll to 20,” Ahmed said.
A mass burial was held on Saturday, an AFP reporter saw.
The alleged bomber was dressed as a local heading to the crowded nearby fish market.
She detonated her explosives as soon she reached the shed used by the militia fighters as a hangout, said militia member Ibrahim Liman.
He gave the same toll as Ahmed.
Borno state police spokesman Nahum Daso told AFP 10 bodies had been recovered from the “suicide attack.”
He said the toll could be higher as “details are sketchy.”
Konduga fish market, which is usually busy at night, has been the target of a series of suicide attacks in the past.
The conflict between the authorities and Boko Haram has been ongoing for 16 years.
In that time, more than 40,000 people have dioed and around two million been displaced from their homes in the northeast, according to the United Nations.
The violence has spread to neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight armed militant Islamic groups.
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Suicide blast kills 20 anti-jihadist fighters in Nigeria: militia leader
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Suicide blast kills 20 anti-jihadist fighters in Nigeria: militia leader
- Surrounding villages have been repeatedly targeted by suicide bombers said to be acting for Boko Haram, a group of armed Islamic militants that has been active in the area for at least 16 years
Japan protests after a Chinese military aircraft locks its radar on Japanese jets
TOKYO: Japan said early Sunday that it has protested to China after a military jet that took off from the Chinese carrier Liaoning locked its radar on Japanese fighter jets near the southern island of Okinawa, the latest spat between the two countries whose ties have plunged recently over the Japanese leader’s Taiwan remarks.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said China’s military aircraft J-15 “intermittently” targeted its radar at Japanese F-15 fighter jets on two occasions Saturday — for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening.
The radar lock by the Chinese aircraft was detected by different Japanese fighters that had scrambled against a possible airspace violation by China, according to the ministry. There was no breach of Japanese airspace, and no injury or damage was reported from the incident.
It was not known whether the radar lock incident involved the same Chinese J-15 both times.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, briefing reporters in the early hours of Sunday, said Japan protested to China over the radar lock, calling it “a dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.”
“The occurrence of such an incident is extremely regrettable,” Koizumi said. “We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures.”
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government or military. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Chinese navy operates in accordance with international law and that others shouldn’t hype up its activities.
The latest incident comes as relations between the two countries have worsened in recent weeks.
China was angered by a statement by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November that its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.
The aircraft carrier Liaoning on Saturday passed between the main island of Okinawa and nearby Miyako island as it conducted aircraft takeoff and landing exercises in the Pacific.
Japanese F-15 fighter jets, scrambled in case of an airspace violation, were pursuing the Chinese aircraft at a safe distance and did not involve actions that could be interpreted as provocation, Kyodo News agency said, quoting defense officials.
Fighter jets can use radars for search, or as fire control ahead of a missile launch.
It is believed to be the first instance of a radar lock involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft. In 2013, a Chinese warship targeted a radar on a Japanese destroyer, Kyodo said.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, the Philippine coast guard said China fired three flares toward a fisheries bureau plane on patrol in the South China Sea on Saturday. Chinese forces fire flares to warn planes to move away from what they consider their airspace over the disputed waters.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said China’s military aircraft J-15 “intermittently” targeted its radar at Japanese F-15 fighter jets on two occasions Saturday — for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening.
The radar lock by the Chinese aircraft was detected by different Japanese fighters that had scrambled against a possible airspace violation by China, according to the ministry. There was no breach of Japanese airspace, and no injury or damage was reported from the incident.
It was not known whether the radar lock incident involved the same Chinese J-15 both times.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, briefing reporters in the early hours of Sunday, said Japan protested to China over the radar lock, calling it “a dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.”
“The occurrence of such an incident is extremely regrettable,” Koizumi said. “We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures.”
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government or military. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Chinese navy operates in accordance with international law and that others shouldn’t hype up its activities.
The latest incident comes as relations between the two countries have worsened in recent weeks.
China was angered by a statement by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November that its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.
The aircraft carrier Liaoning on Saturday passed between the main island of Okinawa and nearby Miyako island as it conducted aircraft takeoff and landing exercises in the Pacific.
Japanese F-15 fighter jets, scrambled in case of an airspace violation, were pursuing the Chinese aircraft at a safe distance and did not involve actions that could be interpreted as provocation, Kyodo News agency said, quoting defense officials.
Fighter jets can use radars for search, or as fire control ahead of a missile launch.
It is believed to be the first instance of a radar lock involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft. In 2013, a Chinese warship targeted a radar on a Japanese destroyer, Kyodo said.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, the Philippine coast guard said China fired three flares toward a fisheries bureau plane on patrol in the South China Sea on Saturday. Chinese forces fire flares to warn planes to move away from what they consider their airspace over the disputed waters.
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