Cameroon Troops in 'Heavy Clashes' with Boko Haram
Cameroonian troops fought "heavy clashes" Tuesday with Boko Haram militants near the border with Nigeria as a security summit kicked off in Niger on a regional plan to stop the Islamist fighters.
Boko Haram insurgents from neighboring Nigeria attacked the far northern Cameroon border village of Bonderi, a source told AFP, adding that "it's too early to give a casualty toll".
The fighting comes as Nigeria and its regional neighbors, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon, met in Niger's capital Niamey to plan a strategy against the Islamist fighters.
Boko Haram controls swathes of Nigeria and has stepped up cross-border attacks in the region as part of an insurgency that has left 13,000 dead and forced 1.5 million from their homes since 2009.
Chad sent a convoy of troops and 400 military vehicles into Cameroon Saturday to help in the fight against Boko Haram and its president has called for the creation of a regional force.
A Boko Haram assault this month on the town of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad trigged widespread outrage and helped spur calls for a broader response.
Amnesty International described the attack, which is believed to have killed hundreds of people, as "the biggest and most destructive" yet by the armed fundamentalists.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/163964 |