Young female 'suicide bombers' blow up Nigerian market in attack bearing hallmarks of Boko Haram

While the world's attention is focussed on events in Paris, a new study published this week shows the world's deadliest terrorist organization is in fact Nigeria's Boko Haram, not Islamic State.
The report comes as the organisation is blamed for a deadly attack on a mobile phone market in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Wednesday. The 'suicide attack', carried out by two young women, killed at least 14 people and wounding more than 100 others, the country's emergency response agency said.
The attacks bear the hallmarks of Boko Haram, suggesting that the militant Islamist group, which has killed thousands over the last six years, is stepping up its operations.
"Over 100 persons injured and 14 others lost their lives in today's market bomb blast in Kano," said Sani Datti, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Although the two girls are described in many media reports as 'suicide bombers', it's likely that they were unwilling participants in the carnage.
Remember the kidnappings of hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls that opened much of the world's eyes to Boko Haram?
It is believed by some that the terrorist organisation is using its young female hostages as 'human bombs', especially in light of a similar attack carried out by a 10-year-old girl in July. Others suggest the girls are more likely to be the offspring of Boko Haram members.
According to The Guardian, one of these so-called 'bombers' was just 11 years old. The other was 18.
The explosions occurred around 4pm at the Farm Centre phone market, near the centre of Nigeria's second biggest city, and come a day after a blast in the northeastern city of Yola killed 32 people and wounded 80 others.
Suspected members of Boko Haram have killed more than 1,000 people since President Muhammadu Buhari took office in May.
"President Buhari reassures Nigerians that his administration is very much determined to wipe out Boko Haram in Nigeria and bring all perpetrators of this heinous crime against humanity to justice," said presidency spokesman Garba Shehu.
He said Buhari urged vigilance to help ward off suicide terror attacks on "soft targets", adding that Nigeria's "reinvigorated, well-equipped and well-motivated armed forces and security agencies" would overcome Boko Haram very soon.
Since losing most of the territory they took over earlier this year to the Nigerian army, the militant group has focused attacks on markets, bus stations and places of worship, as well as hit-and-run attacks on villages.
Suspected Boko Haram militants have also carried out attacks in neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon in recent weeks.