YAOUNDE, Cameroon —Cameroon’s military on Thursday denied its soldiers were involved in a video that appears to show women with small children being blindfolded and shot dead as suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers.

The graphic video circulating on social media caused an outcry and condemnation by groups including Amnesty International, and again raised concerns about alleged military abuses as Cameroon combats Boko Haram extremists in the north along the Nigerian border and Anglophone separatists in parts of the west.

President Paul Biya has ordered an investigation, a government spokesman said.

The video appears to show soldiers in a rural area blindfolding two women, who have small children strapped to their backs, and shooting them as other civilians watch. One of the uniformed men says in French that it is a heavy burden executing people but they don’t have another option.

The government spokesman called the Central African nation’s military professional and said the camouflage uniforms in the video were fabricated.

“The combat uniforms used by the Cameroonian army in such circumstances are standard combat suits, namely heavy helmets, bulletproof vests and rangers’ boots. This is obviously not the case in the video,” Bakary said. “The weapons displayed by the alleged soldiers presented in the video are not those used by the Cameroonian army.”

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