Deadly bombings in Nigeria involve young girls

At least six people have been killed after two suspected children strapped with explosives blew themselves up in a market in northeast Nigeria, witnesses say.

Sunday's assault was the second attack involving young girls.

The blasts struck around mid-afternoon at an open market selling cell phones in the town of Potiskum in Yobe state, one of three northeastern states after Adamawa and Borno that have been hit by the armed group Boko Haram.

A trader at the market said the bombers were about 10 years old.

"I saw their dead bodies. They are two young girls of about 10 years of age ... you only see the plaited hair and part of the upper torso," he said.

The town was hit by a suicide bomber in November when at least 48 people, mainly students, were killed during a school assembly.

On Saturday, a bomb exploded at a police station in Potiskum.

Sunday's explosions came a day after a bomb bound to a girl aged about 10 years old exploded in a busy market place in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 20, security sources said.

Last week, Boko Haram razed at least 16 towns and villages and may have killed as many as 2,000 people, according to officials.

Boko Haram, which says it opposes Western influence, has been fighting since 2009 to establish its own state in the northeast of the country.

The army's inability to crush the movement has created problems for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking re-election in February.

Last year more than 10,000 people died in the violence, according to an estimate by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.

The military lost ground in Borno state last weekend after fighters took over the town of Baga and nearby army base, killing over 100 people and forcing thousands to flee.

The defense headquarters said on Saturday that the army was regrouping to retake the area.

Al Jazeera with wire services