Cameroon: Troops free 900 hostages held by Boko Haram

Similarly, the defence ministry cited the same figures in a brief statement aired on the state television.

The sweep enabled troops “to release nearly 900 hostages, seize large supplies of arms and munitions, as well as black-and-white Islamic State (IS) flags”, the statement added, without providing details on the identities of those freed nor other evidence.

FOLLOWING the arrest of a child for alleged involvement in terrorism, the Nigerian Army has called for thorough screening of people seeking refuge in camps housing internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“It is important that Cameroon is coordinating the operation with its neighbouring countries, as it denies Boko Haram easy exit routes across the border”, Musa said.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroon’s minister of communications, added that the militants were found in the Sambisa Forest, which straddles north east Nigeria and Cameroon’s Far North Region.

Attacks have increased recently in Cameroon’s far north region since the country is part of an 8,700-strong regional task force aimed at defeating Boko Haram.

The militants are believed to have travelled from Nigeria to attack the border town.

At the time, the Nigerian army’s public relations director said it was investigating the incident, but insisted the military was acting in self-defence after protesters shot at the soldiers.

The rescue operation was publicly announced a day after an incident in which two suicide bombers, both teenage girls, blew themselves up in the Cameroonian town of Waza.

But Boko Haram has stepped up the tempo and range of its attacks, with raids and suicide bombings in the past week in Niger, Cameroon and northern Nigeria.