On a day Boko Haram killed dozens of Nigerian troops in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, Cameroon has deployed 1,000 soldiers to join in the battle against the insurgents.
Reuters quoted the Cameroonian defence ministry spokesman as confirming the movement of troops and armoured vehicles into the border with Nigeria.
The leaders of Cameroon, Benin, Niger, Chad and Nigeria agreed at a summit in Paris, France, on May 17 to join forces in combating the Boko Haram threat, which is seen as al-Qaeda in west and central Africa.
The northern part of Cameroon has often suffered Boko Haram attacks.
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“Their mission will be to carry out reconnaissance and be ready to respond with enough fire power,” Lt Colonel Didier Badjeck told Reuters.
Until now, Nigeria accused Cameroon of not doing enough to flush out the militants who sometimes operate from the Cameroonian border, smuggling weapons into the country from there.
On Tuesday, Boko Haram attacked a Nigerian military base and police barracks in Buni Yadi, the same Yobe town where it killed 59 male students and abducted 16 female students of Federal Government College last February.
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The group went on to kidnap over 300 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, last month, in a saga that drew global attention. It is thought that 276 girls are still with the group, as 53 escaped.
Reuters reported that during Tuesday’s attack, the militants arrived in an armoured personnel carrier and six Hilux trucks before dismounting and firing into the air.
At least 11 soldiers and 14 policeman were reported killed.
They burnt the police barracks, the army base, the high court and the residence of the district head.
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