africatodayonline.blogspot.com -
Suicide bombers have attacked an army checkpoint in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, causing an unknown number of casualties.
A witness tells VOA that three blasts rocked the checkpoint around 2 p.m. local time Tuesday.
The witness said he heard the first blast, then saw two vehicles drive up to the roadblock in quick succession and explode. He says another car bomb apparently failed to go off but the driver came out randomly firing at people.
Witnesses say both soldiers and civilians were killed. The military has cordoned off the area.
The police commissioner of Nigeria's Borno state said the attack appeared to be the work of Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
The group is blamed for thousands of deaths since 2009. Human Rights Watch said Monday that 1,500 people have died in Boko Haram-related violence this year alone.
