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Boko Haram uses children as 'human bombs' in Nigeria — UN

The Nigerian army has been fighting against Boko Haram for years

UNITED NATIONS, August 22. /TASS/. More than 80 children have been used by militants active in Nigeria as human bombs since the beginning of the year, Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday.

Use of children as "human bombs" rising in northeast Nigeria. They are victims, not perpetrators: https://t.co/7cGqvUSZkd
— United Nations (@UN) 22 August 2017

He cited data provided by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) saying that the number of children carrying out terrorist attacks was already four times higher than the number recorded in 2016.

"Since the beginning of 2017, 83 children have been used as human bombs, including 55 girls, most of them under 15 years old," Dujarric said. "This is already four times more than for all of last year. The agency said that children used as human bombs were above all victims, not perpetrators," he added.

Horrendous. Use of children as ‘human bombs’ rising in NE #Nigeria https://t.co/WGqUf3xmBn #ChildrenUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/U4DfNlz8iG
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) 22 August 2017

According to him, the Boko Haram terror group "has sometimes, but not always, claimed responsibility for those attacks." "According to UNICEF, the use of children in such attacks has a further impact of creating suspicion and fear of children released, rescued, or escaped from Boko Haram," the United Nations secretary general’s spokesperson said.

The Nigerian army has been fighting against Boko Haram, pledging allegiance to the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia), for around eight years. Over this period of time, at least two million people were forced from their homes, while nearly seven million are in need of humanitarian aid.

The latest big terrorist attack in Nigeria took place on August 15, when female suicide bombers detonated their explosives at a market and near a refugee camp in the Maiduguri city area. The attacks killed 30 civilians, more than 80 people suffered wounds.

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