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At least 10 killed in northern Cameroon market, military base bomb attack

By Andrew V. Pestano

YAOUNDé, Cameroon, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- At least 10 people died Thursday when two bombs detonated in Cameroon's Kerawa region, where the military is fighting the Boko Haram militant Islamist group.

The first explosion occurred at a market at about 9 a.m. local time in Kerawa, located in northern Cameroon bordering Nigeria. The second explosion occurred a near a military camp.

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There are reports that about 30 people may have been killed. Cameroon is part of the five-member coalition combating Boko Haram, which includes Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Benin.

Officials in Cameroon believe Boko Haram militants entered the country from Nigeria while disguised as refugees. In early August, Cameroon announced it was deporting more than 2,000 Nigerians as part of a measure to prevent suicide bombings by Boko Haram.

Boko Haram was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 2013. The militant Islamic group seeks to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria and has ruthlessly targeted civilians.

Amnesty International reported in June at least 17,000 people had been killed in northeastern Nigeria since the conflict began eight years ago. More than 800,000 children have been forced to flee their homes due to violence generated by Boko Haram's violent insurgency in Nigeria.

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