Nigerian city rocked by twin blasts

[BBC]

  Continue reading the main story   Nigeria under attack

• Five questions
• What happened, when?
• Who are Boko Haram?
• In 60 secs: Boko Haram Watch

Heavy casualties are feared following two loud explosions near a crowded market in the volatile central Nigerian city of Jos.

The BBC's Ishaq Khalid, in neighbouring Bauchi, says the market was very crowded at the time.

The cause of the blasts has not been confirmed. Jos has seen several deadly clashes between Christian and Muslim groups in recent years.

Islamist group Boko Haram has also previously targeted the area.

A suicide attack in the northern city of Kano on Monday killed four people.

Abducted girls A regional official confirmed there had been two blasts in Jos, the capital of Plateau state, but told Agence France-Presse news agency that he did not have any casualty figures yet.

A military spokesman told AFP one bomb had been placed in a truck and another in a minibus, but this has not been independently confirmed.

Plateau state lies on the fault-line which divides Nigeria's largely Muslim north from its mainly Christian south.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

A 60-second guide to Boko Haram

The state has been dogged by violence blamed on land disputes between semi-nomadic Muslim Fulani herdsmen and mainly Christian Berom farmers.

The Nigerian government is also currently trying to trace more than 200 girls captured by Boko Haram in April from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok.

The case has shocked the world and prompted foreign powers to send military advisers to assist Nigeria's army tackle the insurgency.

On Tuesday, parliament approved a six-month extension of a state of emergency in three north-eastern states - Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks this year but the government says it has pushed the militants back into their strongholds in Borno.

A suicide attack in Kano in Monday left four people dead  Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

Nigeria's violence is not confined to the north.

Earlier this month a car bomb in the capital Abuja killed at least 19 people and injured 60 more.

The explosion happened close to a bus station where at least 70 people died in a bomb blast on 14 April.

Are you in the area? Did you witness the explosions? You can send us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Jos'.

Or you can get in touch by using the form below.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk  or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

(Required)  Name     (Required)  Your E-mail address     (Required)  Town & Country     (Required)  Your telephone number       (Required)  Comments      If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.

Terms and conditions

Send Clear    
Source: BBC.co.uk