Nigerian Blasts Kill 11; Boko Haram Blamed

Posted June 8th, 2011 at 9:05 am (UTC-5)
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Police in Nigeria say 11 people have been killed in bomb attacks that are suspected to be the work of a radical Islamic group.

Multiple bombs went off Tuesday at a police station and a church in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the scene of frequent violence in recent months.

Borno state police say the radical sect Boko Haram likely was behind the attacks. They say three of the group's members were among those killed.

On Monday, gunmen killed a prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ibrahim Birkuti, in a town southwest of Maiduguri. Police blame Boko Haram for that attack as well.

Boko Haram is believed to be responsible for a series of attacks that have killed police officers, soldiers, political figures and clerics over the past year, mostly in Borno state.

The group is fighting to establish Islamic law across Nigeria. Its name in the local Hausa language means “Western education is a sin.”

Borno Governor Kashim Shettima has said he is willing to negotiate with Boko Haram. So far, no one from the group has taken him up on the offer.