Cameroon kills many Boko Haram fighters
December 2, 2015, 7:22 pm

Cameroon’s armed forces have been on high alert since Nigeria-based Boko Haram began expanding its terrorist attacks to neighboring countries [Xinhua]

On Wednesday, the Cameroonian defense ministry announced that its forces had killed at least 100 Boko Haram fighters and rescued over 900 hostages abducted by the extremist group.

Boko Haram, which declared allegiance to ISIL last year, is based in the northeastern state of Borno in Nigeria. But in recent years it has carried out cross-border incursions in neighboring Cameroon, Mali, and Niger with deadly effect.

In a deadly week of attacks beginning on November 26, Boko Haram militia killed at least 30, including four on Tuesday, in raids on towns along Niger’s southern border.

They burned 50 homes, in what has become their staple scorched earth policy, abducted a number of women and murdered a Muslim cleric, Niger authorities said.

On November 27, Boko Haram carried out an attack against Shia marchers observing a ritual in Nigeria’s northern city of Kano.

The African Union (AU) has contributed troops and material in conjunction with the aforementioned countries to fight Boko Haram.

In March 2015, a Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), comprising forces from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin, was formed; both the US and UK pledged support and Washington pledged to send a contingent of military experts and trainers to aid in the campaign.

However, there are concerns that the Nigerian-based group has been turning to territorial expansion as a main strategy – perhaps mimicking ISIL tactics in Iraq and Syria since early 2014.

As more forces gather to fight Boko Haram, the extremist group has upped the ante and carried out deadly suicide attacks against civilians.

On October 15, at least 39 people were killed in the restive city of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria.

Police sources in the city – believed to be the birthplace of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram – said that three female suicide bombers detonated their explosives and killed seven people. A day earlier, two male suicide bombers attacked a mosque in the city and killed 32 Muslim worshipers.

A suicide bombing attack killed at least 70 people in the city a week earlier.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies