U.S. 'Deplores' Twin Nigeria Attacks
The United States on Wednesday called for a full investigation of twin bombings in Nigeria, denouncing the latest violence blamed on Boko Haram militants, which left at least 42 dead.
Washington "deplores" the attacks in the city of Kaduna targeting a prominent cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, and former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.
State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States wants to "extend our sympathies to the loved ones" of those killed.
"We call on Nigerian authorities to fully investigate these attacks, and we urge all Nigerians to avoid reprisals and continue to practice the interfaith cooperation that violent extremists seek to undermine," Harf added.
Nigerian police said the first attack was carried out by a suicide bomber on the convoy of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, a cleric who has fiercely criticized Boko Haram's deadly five-year uprising.
The second attack some two hours later that killed 17 people targeted Muhammadu Buhari, a prominent opposition leaders who formerly ruled the country as a military dictator from 1983 to 1985.
Both men escaped unhurt.
Source: Agence France Presse
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