At least 13 dead as suicide bombers strike Nigerian town

At least 13 people were killed when suicide bombers struck the outskirts of Maiduguri in north-east Nigeria on Friday, hours after of scores of worshippers were killed in an attack on a nearby mosque.
Three female suicide bombers blew themselves up in Mulai village, killing themselves and six people, Maiduguri resident Ahmed Baba told dpa.
Around 20 injured people are receiving treatment at hospital, he said.
Local television channels reported the attack was carried out about 5:10 am (0410 GMT), when Muslim worshippers were preparing for morning prayers.
In another attack in the area on Friday morning, four people died when a female suicide bomber prematurely detonated her bomb, a local vigilante member told dpa.
“The woman panicked and detonated her bomb when she saw soldiers'” Umaru Sani said.
She and three others died after the explosion, which happened close to Molai mosque that was attacked by suicide bombers on Thursday night.
One of the suicide bombers detonated the device during evening prayers, killing everybody in the mosque, said Abubakar Maina, one of those who helped in the evacuation of the victims.
A little while later when people rushed in to help, the second bomber detonated his own bomb, killing many of the rescuers, Maina said.
An official at Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, who sought anonymity, told dpa that at least 32 people had died in the attack.
The area, which is considered a soft target, has been repeatedly targeted in the past by suicide bombers belonging to the militant group, Boko Haram.
The group, which seeks to establish a state with the strictest interpretation of Islamic law, has killed thousands of people in the region.
The Nigerian military said on Friday that the coming days would be crucial in the war against Boko Haram.
“Our sovereignty as a nation is threatened. The Nigerian army and indeed the military as the symbol of our nationhood is being challenged,” army chief Tukur Buratai said in a message to his troops. Earlier this week, the White House said the US military would send troops to Cameroon to conduct airborne surveillance and intelligence operations in the fight against Boko Haram.