Cameroon's President Paul Biya has
sent the army chief to the country’s north in a bid to intensify the battle
against Nigeria’s Boko Haram Takfiri militants.
The commander was sent to the volatile area on Sunday,
following a series of cross-border attacks
and abductions performed by the
militants.
Biya has announced that the government will send more troops
and military equipment to the area.
"In
the last few weeks, our forces have made important advances against Boko Haram,
but it is a long fight," he said on Saturday.
"Because it is an international terrorist movement, we
should take action internationally."
Boko Haram has long used northern parts of Cameroon near the
Nigerian border as a safe haven for its acts of terror.
The militants have conducted a number of assaults and kidnappings in Cameroon, including the abduction of deputy prime minister's wife in late July. Following the abduction, the Cameroonian army launched a successful operation and rescued the abducted wife of Amadou Ali.
The militants have conducted a number of assaults and kidnappings in Cameroon, including the abduction of deputy prime minister's wife in late July. Following the abduction, the Cameroonian army launched a successful operation and rescued the abducted wife of Amadou Ali.
The notorious group has repeatedly targeted Nigerian
civilians, mostly in the remote state of Borno, killing more than 2,000
civilians since January.
On April 14, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 students from their
secondary school in the town of Chibok in Borno. Reports say 57 of the girls
managed to escape, but 219 are still missing and international efforts to spot
and rescue them have failed so far.
Boko Haram -- whose name means “Western education is
forbidden” -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.
It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and
bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its militancy
in 2009. Over 10,000 people have so far been killed in the assaults.
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