Boko Haram men killed, 900 hostages rescued in Cameroon

“We can not be cowed by an imaginary Boko Haram tale”.

“He calls on the global community to provide urgent support for humanitarian assistance and early recovery as a way to mitigate the impact on the affected populations”.

An independent researcher on War and Conflict Study and Boko Haram specialist, Aliyu Musa, in an interview with Al Jazeera said that the reports were true, adding that the number of fatalities was very significant.

The minister said that the operation was a joint effort between Cameroon security forces, the Nigerian army and a new multinational force set up to fight Boko Haram.

Cameroon is in part of an 8,700-strong regional force led by Nigeria against the group, expected to be operational by the end of the year.

“This should have happened much earlier, because this terrorist group has been carrying out attacks in border regions”, he said, pointing out that in recent weeks, the group killed an ethnic ruler and his family in Niger. The operation also killed over 100 Boko Haram fighters, and 100 more were arrested. Usman said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was from Bama town and was among the other children trained for suicide bombing by the Boko Haram terrorists. The group straps bombs on them and sends them into crowded places.

The European country, which itself suffered terror attacks recently, lauded Cameroon’s role in fighting the Boko Haram.

Despite the success of the mission, Cameroon’s army couldn’t find the 219 schoolgirls who were kidnapped from a school in Chibok town in 2014.

The Nigerian Army on Wednesday said vigilant troops of 7 Division Garrison providing security at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp, Dalori in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, have arrested an 11-year-old boy, Usman Modu Tella, a potential suicide bomber.