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One of Boko Haram‘s boldest moves yet occurred Sunday when the Islamist extremists kidnapped Cameroon’s Deputy Prime Minister’s wife. The group also kidnapped a local religious leader and his family as well.

As reported by the BBC, Deputy Prime Minister Amadou Ali’s wife and her maid were taken from the Ali residence by the militants. The Deputy PM was observing the ending of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and managed to escape Boko Haram’s attack by going to a nearby town.

The Ali residence rests in North Cameroon in the town of Kolofata, which is near the Nigerian border. Reuters adds in separate reports that leader Seini Boukar Lamine and five members of his family were also taken. Three other persons were reported killed.

From the BBC:

Boko Haram has stepped up cross-border attacks into Cameroon in recent weeks, as the army was deployed to the region.

Militants have kidnapped foreign nationals in northern Cameroon before, including a French family and Chinese workers.

Cameroon’s long and porous border with Nigeria means Boko Haram fighters can come and go at will, attacking police stations and villages, and spreading terror throughout the region, says BBC Africa editor Mary Harper.

In a separate incident, a young female suicide bomber injured five policeman after she rushed them and detonated an explosive.

Activity near and around the Cameroonian-Nigerian border has increased as Boko Haram forces have been clashing with a coalition force made up of forces from Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad. The force is hoping to locate the more than 200 schoolgirls who were kidnapped from Nigeria earlier this year.

Photo: BBC News/YouTube