Three bombings in various regions of Nigeria at the beginning of July brought back to the forefront the phenomenon of terrorist organizations using women in suicide operations. Local authorities announced that at least 38 people were killed in coordinated attacks carried out by suspected female suicide bombers, according to the American newspaper “New York Times.”

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Nigerian authorities said the first female suicide bomber detonated an explosive device during a wedding ceremony. Minutes later, another explosion occurred near a hospital, followed by a third attack during a funeral, carried out by an attacker disguised as a mourner.

Experts linked the bombings to the Boko Haram group, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, a country of 170 million people, divided between a Christian majority in the south and a Muslim majority in the north, according to the Associated Press.

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The “New York Times” quoted experts saying that “the suicide attacks demonstrated the deadly role that women can play in the operations of terrorist groups like Boko Haram.”

In 2014, Boko Haram, involved in the killing of tens of thousands and the displacement of over two million people in Nigeria, had already kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls.

Experts stated that armed groups often use women as suicide bombers because they are considered “less valuable” to the organization and more useful tactically.

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Mia Bloom, a professor of communication sciences at Georgia State University in the United States, said that “women arouse less suspicion and can penetrate targets more deeply,” noting that terrorist groups often use women when targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure because they “blend in” and are less likely to be seen as a threat.

Bloom, who interviewed many Boko Haram survivors, said that “some groups also see women as easier to maneuver and use tactically.”

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She added that “many women turned into suicide bombers by Boko Haram likely suffered sexual assaults and psychological trauma, and some may have already been radicalized.”

Groups such as Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, and the Taliban have used female suicide bombers in the past, but Boko Haram has used them more frequently than other groups, according to the same newspaper.

The organization has a history of kidnapping young girls and holding them hostage before forcing them to wear explosives and sending them on suicide missions.