Female suicide bombers kill at least 18 people in Nigeria, say officials

Female suicide bombers targeted a wedding, a funeral, and a hospital in coordinated attacks in northern Nigeria that killed at least 18 people, local authorities said Sunday.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the the attacks in Borno state, which has been heavily affected by the insurgency launched in 2009 by Boko Haram. The extremist group previously has used women and girls in suicide bombings, prompting suspicions that some attackers come from the many thousands of people the militants have kidnapped over the years, including schoolchildren.

The first suicide bomber detonated a device during a marriage celebration in the northeastern town of Gwoza, Barkindo Saidu, director-general of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, told reporters.

Minutes later, another blast occurred near General Hospital, Saidu said, and the third bomber at the funeral service was disguised as a mourner. Children and pregnant women were among those killed. At least 30 others were wounde