The assailant detonated his explosives in Djakana, a town in Cameroon's Far North Region, on Wednesday evening.
A source close to regional authorities confirmed that, including the assailant, there were "four dead and a number of wounded, one of whom was in critical condition."
A Cameroonian police officer patrols in Maroua, west of the Nigerian border, September 16, 2016. (Photo by AFP)
The source told AFP that the attacker had been planning to detonate his explosives in the nearby town of Mora on Thursday. However, his plans were thwarted in Djakana, where he was planning to spend the night.
"He was spotted by a member of Djakana's vigilance committee who tried to neutralize him" which caused the explosion, the source said.
No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, but Boko Haram has carried out similar attacks in Cameroon.
Djakana, which lies just a few kilometers from the Nigerian border, has been hit by a number of attacks over the past few months. On June 30, a militant attack claimed the lives of nearly a dozen in the same troubled town.
Displaced Cameroonian women are seen sitting on sacks of donated food outside a distribution center in Koza, near the Nigerian border, September 14, 2016. (Photo by AFP)
On August 21, three civilians were killed in a bomb attack in Mora, which has frequently suffered from deadly attacks by Boko Haram and is home to the headquarters of a joint force consisting of soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, tasked with battling the terrorist group.
Over 8,000 Cameroonian soldiers are currently deployed in Far North Region as well as in a large military base housing motorized infantry brigades in Mora.
Boko Haram is based in Nigeria but has been carrying out terrorist attacks in neighboring countries including Cameroon and Chad. The terrorist group, which has pledged allegiance to the ISIS Takfiri terrorists, started its reign of terror in Nigeria in 2009 with the aim of toppling the central government.
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