At least 200 Boko Haram militants killed by armies of Cameroon, Chad
Xinhua, February 5, 2015 Adjust font size:
At least 200 militants of Nigerian Islamic sect Boko Haram were killed Wednesday in a fighting with a joint army of Cameroon and Chad in Cameroon's Far-North Region, military sources told Xinhua over phone.
Around 7,000 militants attacked Fotokol, a town in Far-North Region, Wednesday morning with heavy equipment, including 30 armored trucks and sophisticated weapons, killing three Cameroonian soldiers and 14 Chadian soldiers, forcing the joint army to retreat, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
The joint army recaptured Fotokol a few hours later after an offensive.
The sources said the preliminary casualties for the Boko Haram side is at least 200 deaths, but no official clarification is available.
According to a villager in the area, many civilians left their homes to escape the violence.
The African Union decided at the recent summit to form a multinational troops of 7,500 to fight against Boko Haram.
The leaders of Economic Community of Central Africa States will hold a summit on Feb. 16 in Cameroon's capital Yaounde to discuss the issue on the formation of the troops. Endi