Headlines
300 Boko Haram militants killed in Cameroon
At least 300 militants of
Nigerian Islamic sect Boko Haram were killed in fighting with a joint
army of Cameroon and Chad in Cameroon's Far North region, according to
latest unofficial figures.
Military sources who declined to be
named told Xinhua news agency Wednesday evening that 16 Chadian soldiers
and seven Cameroonian soldiers were also killed in the fighting in
Fotokol, a town in Far-North region bordering Nigeria.
According to the sources, dozens of civilians, including 30 Muslims, were killed by Boko Haram in the area.
Muslims were praying in a Fotokol mosque when the tragedy took place, the sources said.
Around
7,000 heavily armed militants attacked Fotokol Wednesday morning, said
the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to
speak to reporters.
The joint army initially retreated but recaptured Fotokol a few hours later after an offensive.
According to a villager in the area, many civilians left their homes to escape the violence.
The African Union decided at its recent summit to form a multinational force of 7,500 personnel to fight the Boko Haram.
The
leaders of Economic Community of Central Africa States will hold a
summit Feb 16 in Cameroon's capital Yaounde to discuss the issue of
formation of the troops.