EU 'stands with Nigeria' in anti-terror fight: Ashton

(BRUSSELS) - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton "strongly" condemned the abduction of more than 100 Nigerian schoolgirls by Islamists on Tuesday, saying the 28-nation bloc stands with Nigeria in its struggle against terrorism.

"I strongly condemn the abduction of more than 100 school girls in north eastern Chibok," just a day after a bombing in Abuja that left 75 dead and injured many more, Ashton said in a statement.

"I am concerned by the increasing frequency and spread of terrorist attacks," she added.

"The EU stands with the people and the government of Nigeria in the fight against terrorism and violence and for the rule of law and human rights."

The unprecedented mass abduction by heavily armed Boko Haram Islamists came hours after a bomb blast ripped through a crowded bus station on the outskirts of Abuja in the deadliest attack ever in Nigeria's capital.

The violence underscored the serious threat the Islamists pose to Africa's most populous country, with the group capable of carrying out large-scale attacks in remote areas and massive bombings in major urban centres.