Landmine explosion kills 2 soldiers in north Cameroon

MAROUA, Cameroon

Two Cameroonian soldiers were killed and five injured Monday morning in a landmine explosion near the Nigerian border, a military official told Anadolu Agency.

The soldiers were on board a truck when it ran over a landmine on the Homeka (small town) road near the Nigerian border, said Gen. Bouba Dobekreo, commander of a joint military operation in the region.

He blamed the attack on the Daesh-linked terrorist group Boko Haram, which has increased attacks in Cameroon’s Far North Region.

Boko Haram elements have planted several mines along the border between Cameroon and Nigeria, another military source said, on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

He added that several Cameroon soldiers had died near the border due to landmine explosions.

Cameroon’s Far North has been severely affected by attacks, raids, and kidnappings by Boko Haram.

Last week at least four people, including a gendarme, were killed in a suicide bombing in Cameroon’s northern town of Kolofata.

The country is part of a joint task force created by the Lake Chad Basin countries -- Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Benin – that aims to eradicate the militant group, which has so far killed more than 2,000 people in Cameroon, according to government officials.

Approximately 26 million people in the Lake Chad region have been affected by the Boko Haram violence, and more than 2.6 million displaced, according to the UN’s refugee agency.