Double Suicide Blast In Cameroon Kills At Least Three; Boko Haram: Cameroon Army Kills 100 Militant Fighters And Frees 900

Cameroonian soldiers patrolling in city of Waza, northern Cameroon. Cameroon's army says it has killed Boko Haram militants and detained 1,000 people suspected of links to the Islamist group. Getty Images

Suspected Boko Haram militants detonated two suicide bombs in north Cameroon overnight, killing at least three people, an official and security sources said on Wednesday. Suicide bombings, often carried out by young women recruited by the Islamist militant group in neighbouring Nigeria, are becoming almost daily occurrences in Cameroon's Far North region.

"There was a double suicide attack last night in Waza in the far north of Cameroon with a toll of six dead, including the three kamikazes (attackers)," said Michel Oumarou, deputy prefect for the town of Waza.

Reuters/International Business Times/GRAPHITTI NEWS report continues:

Two security sources also confirmed the attack, with one of them pegging the death toll higher at six civilians. A third suicide bomber was killed by security forces before she was able to detonate her bomb, one of the sources added.

Cameroon is a target for attacks since it is part of an 8,700-strong regional task force aimed at defeating Boko Haram with troops from Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Benin. Joint operations have stalled, however, and national armies appear to be fighting Boko Haram independently.

International Business Times reports that the Cameroonian Army, one of the key forces in the coalition against the militant group Boko Haram, has killed 100 fighters from the Islamic State-linked organization, and freed 900 hostages.

Agence France-Presse reported the numbers of killed and freed, citing Cameroon government officials. Cameroon has been facing almost daily attacks from Boko Haram as the number of suicide bombings, often carried out by young women recruited in Nigeria, increases in the far north of the country.

Overnight a double suicide bombing by Boko Haram in Waza in the north killed at least three. Security sources told Reuters that as many as six could have been killed in the twin blasts. A third suicide bomber was killed by security forces before she was able to detonate her device.

Niger, Chad and Cameroon and have all been helping Nigeria retake territory lost to Boko Haram after the group began carrying out cross-border attacks beyond its heartland in northern Nigeria.

The 8,700-strong regional task force has stalled in its operations, however, as the national armies appear to be battling Boko Haram independently with little collaboration.

While Chad, Cameroon and Niger have, for the most part, remained within their own territories to contain the Boko Haram threat, in March around 200 vehicles crossed into north-east Nigeria to open a new front against the group.