'Islamist militants' kill 10 in northern Cameroon
Cameroon has stepped up security on its border with Nigeria in the wake of recent militant attacks
Militants with suspected ties to Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have killed 10 people in a raid on a remote village in north Cameroon, police say.
Nine bus passengers and a soldier were shot dead after coming "face-to-face" with heavily armed militants in Zigague, they add.
The son of a local chief was kidnapped in the attack, local media reports.
Boko Haram, based in north-eastern Nigeria, has intensified cross-border raids into Cameroon in recent weeks.
It follows the deployment of more than 1,000 soldiers to Cameroon's long and porous border with Nigeria last month, in a bid to prevent such attacks.
"A group of people we think are linked with Boko Haram made an incursion this afternoon in Zigague. They blocked the road and opened fire," a police officer told AFP news agency.
The villagers were killed when the militants were confronted by Cameroonian soldiers, according to local media.
Boko Haram loosely translates as "Western education is forbidden"
State radio said suspected Boko Haram militants - who are fighting for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria - were behind the attack.
Militants were also seen storming the house of a local chief and abducting his child, the radio reported, quoting an army commander.
Cameroonian President Paul Biya sacked two senior army officers at the forefront of the battle against Islamist militants last week.
The decision came just days after the deputy prime minister's wife was abducted by militants from the northern town of Kologata, along with her maid, a religious leader and the local mayor.
Militants have also kidnapped foreign nationals in northern Cameroon before, including a French family and Chinese workers.
Yesterday, Nigeria's military engaged in gun battles with Islamic extremist group , aimed at regaining two towns in northeastern Nigeria recently captured by the group. This comes as suspected members of Boko Haram attacked a village inside Cameroon.



On Wednesday, Boko Haram attacked and occupied the town of , with over 50 reported killed as they forced Nigerian forces out of the town, a stronghold in the fight against the militants. This followed the capture of  in July, leaving much of  under the control of the militants.

'''' reported eyewitness accounts of the aftermath of the attack on Gwoza, with 500 people said to have gone into hiding in the nearby mountains, and the  of Gwoza missing after an attack on his palace.

An attack on a remote northern Cameroon village in by suspected Boko Haram militants was also reported on Wednesday. The attack left ten people, including one soldier, dead, as the group reportedly killed those they had captured during a confrontation with Cameroonian soldiers as they headed towards the Nigerian border. This follows the kidnapping of several people including the Cameroonian deputy prime minister's wife by militants; Boko Haram is reportedly looking to extend its influence outside of Nigeria, including recruiting Cameroonians to their cause. In response to the threat, the Cameroonian government has sent more than 1000 soldiers to the border region.

Boko Haram first began militant operations in 2009, in an attempt to create an Islamic state in the area. The Nigerian military has struggled to counter their progress. The situation in Nigeria came to International attention in April after the kidnapping of 200 school girls from a school, for which Boko Haram claimed responsibility. 


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