Chad says killed 117 Boko Haram fighters in two-week campaign

Before leaving Cameroon, Nigeria’s president said “none of us can succeed alone”.

Gen. Iliya Abbah will head the 8,700-strong Multinational Joint Task Force, which includes soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin, the Nigerian military told Agence France-Presse.

President Muhammadu Buhari and his Cameroonian counterpart, Paul Biya, have agreed to work towards the completion of the demarcation of the land boundary between both countries before the end of 2015.

They will also beef up security along their shared border, the statement added.

But he added: “After the promises of G7 countries to help the region defeat Boko Haram, we are waiting for training, equipment and intelligence assistance”.

Mr. Alonge, an air commodore, said, “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) through its intensified and persistent efforts in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) has intercepted over 4,000 drums and jerry cans of petroleum products and other smuggled items”.

Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks since Buhari took office in May, unleashing a wave of violence that has claimed more than 800 lives in just two months.

Yesterday, it was reported that Boko Haram attacked villages near Baga on Lake Chad in north-eastern Nigeria, using knives to slit the throats of 10 fishermen. The new regional force will be based out of Chad’s capital N’Djamena and the troops are expected to be deployed into battle soon, though an exact date was not specified for tactical reasons, according to AFP. In that post, he was responsible for promotions, postings and retirements.

The extremist movement launched an armed insurgency in 2009, claiming that it wants to found a strict Islamic caliphate in and around north-eastern Nigeria.

The name loosely translates as “Western education is forbidden”.

Biya, in power since 1982, did not attend Buhari’s inauguration and the Nigerian leader’s trip comes almost two months after he visited Chad and Niger.

Adesina said the decision was one of the agreements contained in a communique issued at the conclusion of Buhari’s official visit to Yaounde.

“The big disappointment was that the Cameroonian and Nigerian heads of state did not discuss the right of pursuit”, Sumo Tayo said.