Explosion at mosque in northeast Nigerian capital kills 7: security source

MAIDUGURI: An explosion ripped through a mosque in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri and killed seven worshippers Wednesday, an anti-jihadist militia leader told AFP.

No armed groups immediately claimed responsibility for what militia leader Babakura Kolo said was a suspected bombing.

Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state, home to a yearslong insurgency from jihadist groups Boko Haram and offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province, though the city itself has not seen a major attack in years.

The blast occurred in a city that has been at the heart of an Islamist insurgency waged by Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) for nearly two decades which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions across the northeast.

No group has claimed responsibility, but militants have previously targeted mosques and crowded places in Maiduguri in suicide bombings and improvised explosive device attacks.

Boko Haram launched its uprising in Borno state in 2009, seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate.

Despite military offensives and regional cooperation, sporadic attacks continue to threaten civilians in the northeast.