Anyone wearing 'burka' veil faces arrest in Chad following Boko Haram suicide attack

Security officers stand at the site of a suicide bombing in Ndjamena, Chad, on June 15, 2015.Reuters

Authorities in the African nation of Chad have issued a warning that anyone caught wearing a full face veil or "burka" will be immediately arrested following the latest suicide bombing carried out by a fighter from Boko Haram disguised as a woman donning the Muslim garment.

The warning was issued after the attack in the capital of N'Djamena killed at least 15 people and injured 80 others, Fox News reported.

The suicide attack by a man who blew himself up after disguising himself as a woman in full burka, prompted the police to announce that anyone wearing a full-face veil will be arrested on sight.

The perpetrator behind Saturday's attack was at the main entrance of a market for a security check when he detonated the explosives tied on his waist.

National police spokesperson said the prohibition on the full-face veil was justified and "must now be respected more than ever by the entire population."

Wearing veils was already disallowed last month in the Muslim-dominated country following twin attacks in the city that left 33 people dead.

Authorities tightened security on Sunday, with police and soldiers deployed and stationed in intersections, markets, and mosques.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the attack, signing a post in Twitter as "Islamic State, West Africa province."

The extremist group took on the name since it vowed allegiance in March to the ISIS jihadist organisation, which is carving out a caliphate in the Middle East.

Earlier this month, Boko Haram killed 26 people in two night attacks on two villages on Lake Chad. The group slit the throats of their victims and burned houses in Merom village. Extremists also cut the throats of 13 victims when it attacked a group of camel herders at the village of Tiskra, Reuters said.

Over 15,000 people have already died while another 1.5 million have been forced to flee from their homes since the Boko Haram began its insurgency in 2009.

Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon are already working together to weed out the group from towns and villages since February.