Boko Haram Jihadist Suicide Bombing Kills 11 In Cameroon
Nigeria’s Boko Haram killed at least 11 people in a suicide attack in Cameroon. The attack occurred near a Nigerian border state, according to the Reuters report.
The suicide bomber blew himself up on Wednesday this week near a Mosque. The Boko Haram attack is believed to have taken place after the breaking of the fast for Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims around the world.
There are about 21 million Muslims in Cameroon, and Nigeria’s northern regions are primarily Muslim.
The victims are believed to be Muslim vigilantes that hunt down Boko Haram fighters. A local in the area gave an account of what happened.
“After the prayer, the faithful gathered under a tent in Djakana,” a regional official stated. “A suicide bomber exploded and killed 11 people. Four others were injured.”
Nigerians Sort Through Ruins Left by Boko Haram https://t.co/NfiZ9rDnFm @VOANews pic.twitter.com/eFNvwv5mbN
— Jim Stevenson (@VOAStevenson) June 30, 2016
An officer in the Cameroon army said Boko Haram used a young boy to carry out the suicide attack.
Boko Haram have been losing territory to both Nigerian and Cameroonian armies and have been targeting civilians in both gun and bombing attacks.
This is not the first time the jihadist group has used young children to carry out suicide bombing attacks. The Reuters report states that teenage girls have been used in similar bombing attacks.
Boko Haram has pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and their jihad has led to more than 15,000 casualties and 2 million people displaced in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
Midjiyawa Bakari, the governor of the region, confirmed to AFP that there are 11 casualties with four wounded.
A source reported that the vigilante group was distracted by a film in a video room when the suicide bomber infiltrated the area and blew himself up.
Bakari states, “The imprudence of the youths running the video club,” adding, “While such activities are forbidden, they take risks in showing films at night in the bush.”
“We are asking on the local population to wait until we give the go-ahead for the resumption of such activities, especially on the frontline,” Bakari stated, referring to the security protocols the youth group has in place since it is an area prone to Boko Haram attacks.
The bodyguard of #Nigeria President Muhammadu #Buhari has been arrested for having alleged links to #BokoHaram: https://t.co/VgSzllnSRW
— Jeffrey Smith (@Smith_JeffreyT) June 30, 2016
Nigerian President Buhari’s bodyguard was recently arrested due to links to Boko Haram.
The Nigerian President claimed not long ago that Boko Haram have been “technically defeated,” reports the BBC:
“Boko Haram has reverted to using improvised explosive devices (IEDs),” he said. “Indoctrinating young guys… they have now been reduced to that. But articulated conventional attacks on centers of communication and populations. they are no longer capable of doing that effectively.”
“So I think technically we have won the war because people are going back into their neighborhoods. Boko Haram as an organized fighting force, I assure you, that we have dealt with them.”
Buhari has been criticized for exaggerating the success of military operations and tough talk without getting better results against the jihadist group.
Boko Haram was responsible for the infamous Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping in Northern regions of Nigeria.
Two years later, most of the girls have not been found with 218 out of 276 girls still reported missing. Boko Haram has been conducting terrorist activities from Sambisa Forest since 2013. They have clashed with the Nigerian army several times since then and still have a footing in the area.
Boko Haram frequently conduct attacks in countries neighboring Nigeria because their stronghold is in the northern regions of Nigeria and is very close to several borders.
[Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images]
