MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) — A suicide bomber suspected to be part of the Nigerian Sunni Islamist Group Boko Haram blew himself up at a Shia Muslim ceremony in the north-east of the country Monday, killing about 20 people, BBC reported.
The bomb exploded while people were gathered to mark a ceremony mourning the martyrdom of a grandson of the Prophet Muhammed in what is now Iraq, the news outlet reported citing eye witnesses.
Further information on the circumstances behind the blast has not yet been made available.
Boko Haram, which translates as ‘against western education’ aims to establish a "pure" Islamic state ruled by sharia law, and has been waging insurgencies since 2009.
On October 17, a ceasefire between Boko Haram and the Nigerian Armed Forces was announced by chief of defense staff Marshal Alex Badeh aimed at securing the release of some 200 schoolgirls abducted by the group in April, but later the militant group denied agreeing to a ceasefire. The group has subsequently launched new attacks on villages in the north-east of the country.
