Suspected Boko Haram bombers kill nine in Cameroon - sources

The scene of a suicide bombing in a file photo . REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Two female suicide bombers suspected to be members of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram killed nine people near the town of Mora in Cameroon's Far North region early on Sunday, local government and military sources said. The group has proclaimed an Islamic emirate in neighbouring northeastern Nigeria, enforcing a brutal interpretation of Islamic law, and also pushed into neighbouring countries. On Saturday, five suicide bombers had killed dozens in a part of Chad that borders Nigeria. "We currently have a toll of 11 dead, including the two (female) attackers and nine civilians, as well as 29 wounded," said a local government source. Two military sources said the number of injured was higher, at around 38. A third woman was accompanying the other bombers but it was not clear if she had also meant to blow herself up. Boko Haram had used Cameroon's Far North region as a base for recruiting and supplying its operations in Nigeria until last year, when Cameroonian forces drove it out. But it has now stepped up attacks in the area. Last month, two female suicide bombers killed at least three people in Mora. Cameroon is participating in an 8,700-strong, Nigerian-led regional force expected to start operations against Boko Haram this year.