Male Suicide Bomber Disguised in Burka Kills 14 in Latest Attack on Chad’s Capital

At least 14 people were killed and 74 injured when a bomb went off outside a crowded market in Chad's capital N'Djamena on Saturday morning. Nine of the victims were women who sold goods at the market, and another was a police officer, according to AFP. The suicide bomber, a man who concealed his explosives by wearing a woman's burka, was also killed.

The carnage could have been worse: The bomber only decided to detonate the bomb outside of the market after military police prevented him from entering, a police spokesman told the Associated Press.

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No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but police suspect the militant group Boko Haram. A witness at the scene in N'Djamena told AP he heard the bomber saying "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great," before detonating the bomb.

Earlier this year, Boko Haram aligned itself with the so-called Islamic State (IS), which has called for attacks during the holy month of Ramadan.

The blast marked the third attack in Chad's capital in less than a month. Two suicide bombers, also in burkas and riding motorcycles, struck buildings in N'Djamena on June 15. The twin bombings, which targeted the national police academy and the office of the the national police chief, killed nearly 40 people combined.

The burka was was banned in Chad following the bombings in June. Prime Minister Kalzeubet Pahimi Deubet explained the full-face veils has been used as "camouflage" by the bombers, and declared that any burkas being sold in markets would be confiscated and destroyed.

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Boko Haram claimed responsibility for those attacks in a statement circulated on social media earlier this week that was signed "Islamic State, West Africa province."

The group has not taken credit for yet another pair of terrorist attacks that occurred last week in two villages on Lake Chad, but authorities suspect the group was responsible for those deaths as well. Twenty-six people were killed in successive raids on the villages on Saturday and Sunday nights.

Follow Tessa Stuart on Twitter: @tessastuart

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