Suicide Car Bombing in Nigeria Kills at Least 6 People

Posted June 9th, 2012 at 2:10 am (UTC-5)
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Authorities in Nigeria say at least six people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Maiduguri.

Police say the bomber blew up his car outside their headquarters Friday. A policeman was among those killed and at least seven people were wounded.

The incident comes one day after the U.S. embassy in Nigeria urged Americans to leave the city due to the ongoing violence.

On Thursday, the diplomatic mission warned of ongoing violence between government forces and “local extremists” in Maiduguri. The embassy said it believes the situation will continue to deteriorate.

No group has claimed responsibility for Friday's blast. The militant Islamist group known as Boko Haram has carried out similar attacks in the past.

Maiduguri is the home city of Boko Haram, which has been blamed for hundreds of killings in Nigeria.

The group has said it wants to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria and does not recognize Nigeria's government or constitution.

The country of 150 million is about evenly divided between Muslims, who mostly live in the north, and Christians who dominate in the south.