Militants kill 15 in overnight Cameroon raid, village sources say
YAOUNDE, Sept 17 - Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 15 people in a pre-dawn attack on a village in northern Cameroon, a local vigilante and an administrative authority said on Thursday, in the latest violence to hit the area plagued by a long-running insurgency.
β’ Armed insurgents entered the village of Madegoua, near the town of Makary, at around 2 a.m. (0100 GMT)Β on Thursday, pulling out men and tying them up before executing them, said the local vigilante member, who requested anonymity to discuss the incident for security reasons.
β’ The initial death toll had been 13 though two other victims later died from injuries at a Makary hospital, according to the vigilante.
β’ The victims initially confirmed dead were buried on Thursday, according to a video seen by Reuters, which was not immediately able to independently verify it.
β’ No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. A security analyst told Reuters it was likely carried out by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants who are active in the area.
β’ Some villagers said they suspected the assault may have been enforcement of an earlier order from militants for them to vacate, givenΒ it sits on a strategic route towards Makary.
β’ Cameroon's Far North, which borders Nigeria and Chad, has for years been affected by violence involving Boko Haram and other Islamist militants operating in the Lake Chad basin.
β’ Cameroon is part of a regional multinational military force fighting Islamist militants around Lake Chad. REUTERS
