'Three die' in new Boko Haram attacks

Yaounde - Islamists from Nigeria's Boko Haram killed at least three
civilians in six "coordinated attacks" in the remote north of
neighbouring Cameroon, a defence ministry source told AFP on
Tuesday.

"Six attacks were carried out almost simultaneously on Sunday," the
source said on condition of anonymity, saying the fighters were
pushed back across the border by Cameroonian troops.

The latest raids came less than two weeks after 39 Boko Haram
gunmen were reportedly killed in clashes with soldiers after crossing
into Cameroon to mount attacks on three villages in the same region
near Lake Chad.

The extremists reportedly suffered even heavier losses the previous
week when 107 were killed in battles after another incursion,
Cameroon's army claimed.

The military source said Boko Haram, which he claimed had armoured
vehicles, may have also suffered heavy losses in Sunday's attacks,
although there was as yet no death toll for the rebels.

Most of the fighting took place around Kolofata and Fotokol, where
the three civilians died. The two districts close to the Nigerian border
have often been targeted by the extremists.

Cameroon's Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said the
army had "inflicted heavy losses" on Boko Haram in recent weeks.

Boko Haram's five-year insurgency in Nigeria has left thousands
dead, and the Islamists have occasionally carried out attacks over the
border, including a raid earlier this year blamed on the group that saw
10 Chinese and 17 locals taken hostage. They were released in
October, but Cameroon President Paul Biya vowed to "totally wipe out"
the Islamist group.

UN regional chief Abdoulaye Bathily said Tuesday he was "extremely
worried by the impact of Boko Haram on some countries in the region,
notably Chad and Cameroon".

"We are alerting the Security Council, the countries concerned need
support in their struggle with Boko Haram", Bathily added in
statement.

Cameroon has deployed more than 1,000 soldiers in the extreme
northeast of the country to counter the threat.

- AFP

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