Boko Haram seizes town on Nigeria-Cameroon border: Security source

Boko Haram Takfiri militants have seized control of a town in the far north of Cameroon which lies on the border with Nigeria, a security source says.

“They now control Kerawa,” a security source who was speaking on condition of anonymity said on Friday, referring to the terrorist group.

Another source close to the regional authorities confirmed the incident, saying an unspecified number of civilians had been killed in the militant attack.

“Boko Haram has controlled Kerawa since Friday morning,” the source explained.

A Cameroonian official said that the terrorist group attacked the town on Thursday afternoon, leaving at least 12 people dead.

"They (Boko Haram militants) slit the throats of between three and seven people yesterday and killed others," the official added.

Army denies terror group's conquest

Local people reported that Cameroon's army clashed with the attackers on Friday with Colonel Badjeck, the army's spokesman saying, "We are inflicting an extremely heavy death toll on Boko Haram's side."

"I forcefully insist that Kerawa is not in Boko Haram's hands," the spokesman said.

The Boko Haram militancy began in 2009, when the terrorist group started an armed rebellion against the government. At least 17,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million made homeless since then.

The Boko Harman militancy has also spilled over into several neighboring African nations as well. Troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been battling Boko Haram terrorists in recent months.

Earlier in the day, 28 people lost their lives and scores of others sustained injuries when two bomb explosions ripped through a mosque in Jiddari Polo neighborhood of the city of Maiduguri in Nigeria’s violence-plagued northeastern state of Borno.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the act of violence. However, Nigerian officials usually blame such attacks on the Takfiri Boko Haram terrorists.

On Wednesday, a large group of Boko Haram militants, fleeing a military offensive on their camp in the Nganzai district, opened fire on four cars just outside Jingalta village, 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of Maiduguri, killing 20 passengers.

Nigeria has intensified its crackdown on Boko Haram as the terrorist group continues to wreak havoc across the country through bombings, raids and kidnappings.

The terrorists have pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri militant group, which is primarily operating in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk