Yaounde, Dec 12 (IANS): At least 180 militants suspected to be members of Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram were killed by Cameroon defence and security forces in the north of the country, a military source said Friday.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the militants were killed during an attack in a place named Amchide in the north bordering Nigeria Thursday night around 8 p.m., Xinhua reported.

The source said about 400 militants attacked the defence and security forces, with at least 180 of them killed. He said there was no casualty on the Cameroon side.

The attack, which has not yet been officially declared by the authorities, comes nearly two months after around 200 suspected Boko Haram militants were killed by the army in Amchide and Limani, another place in the north of Cameroon, Oct 15 and 16.

Since then, the security forces have strengthened their positions in the north by increasing the number of personnel to around 6,000.

The militants are active in the north of Cameroon, and they often attack villages in the area, pillaging properties of the villagers and sometimes taking foreign and local people as hostages.