Suicide Attackers Hit Cameroon Marketplace

Yaounde, 15 Rabi’ul Akhir 1437/25 January 2016 (MINA) – At least 29 people have been killed after at least three suicide bombers carried out a series of attacks at a market in northern Cameroon.

The coordinated strikes occurred in the village of Bodo near the border with Nigeria on Monday, a source in Cameroon’s military told Al Jazeera, quot by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

The first explosions struck the road leading to the market. The second and third blasts hit the entrance and interior of the marketplace.

It was the second bombing incident to hit Cameroon this year. On January 13, a suicide bomber killed 12 people and wounded at least one other in an attack on a mosque in northern Cameroon.

In December, two female suicide bombers also blew themselves up in Bodo.

The attacks occurred about 27km from the town of Fotokol, also near the Nigerian border, which had been the subject of previous attacks last year.

No one has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, but Cameroon and neighbouring countries have been carrying out offensives against the Boko Haram group, which declared allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2015.

Boko Haram’s grip on the region has suffered as a result of assaults launched by local armies and a multinational force.

Last December, Cameroon reported killing at least 100 Boko Haram fighters and freeing 900 hostages.

Cameroon is part of an 8,700-strong regional force led by Nigeria against Boko Haram group. The United States has contributed military supplies and troops for assistance. (T/P001/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)