Attacks Kill 50 in Northeast Nigeria

Gombe, Nigeria

More bomb blasts interrupted Eid celebrations Friday in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 10 people in the city of Damaturu, following bombings Thursday that killed at least 50 in the town of Gombe.

In Damaturu, two explosions struck an open-air praying area where worshipers were observing the final day of the holy month of Ramadan. Some reports said there was another blast following the first two.

On Thursday, twin blasts hit a Gombe market crowded with customers doing some last-minute shopping on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr festival that marks the end of a month of fasting.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The blasts resembled attacks carried out by Boko Haram Islamic militants, who have killed thousands in a six-year insurgency in the country's northeast.

There has been a spike in attacks by Boko Haram after a four-nation coalition of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon pushed out the militants from captured territory earlier this year.

The violence has further intensified since Nigeria's new President Muhammadu Buhari took power one and a-half months ago and vowed to crush the group, something his predecessor also had made a priority but failed to do.

Earlier this week, Buhari replaced all of Nigeria's military chiefs in another step aimed at halting the Boko Haram insurgency.

The new army chief and national security advisor come from Borno, a step welcomed by the state governor, Kashim Shettima. He said the new generals understand the terrain and can easily connect with communities to get local support.