YAOUNDE, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Unknown gunmen kidnapped a dozen passengers Tuesday afternoon in Cameroon's Far North region, according to security sources.

Local officials said they were abducted along a highway in Dabanga, a locality in Logone and Chari division of the region.

The Cameroon army is conducting a rescue mission to secure the safe release of the passengers, according to local police.

No armed group has claimed responsibility for the abduction but terror group Boko Haram and highway robbers are known to be operating in the region regularly.