The number of child bombers used by the Islamic extremists Boko Haram has increased 10-fold in a year - with devastating consequences in communities that now see children as threats, Unicef says.

The UN children's agency said that 75% of the children used by the terror organisation are girls.

The number of children in suicide attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger rose from four in 2014 to 44 in 2015, Unicef said.

The frequency of all suicide bombings increased from 32 in 2014 to 151 last year. In 2015, 89 of these attacks were carried out in Nigeria, 39 in Cameroon, 16 in Chad and seven in Niger.

Boko Haram has sent bombers to mosques, market places and other soft targets and is believed to be turning captives into weapons.

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