US Troops to Fight Boko Haram

The United States is entering a new theater in the War on Terror, sending troops and drones to the West African nation of Cameroon, which along with its neighbors is battling to defeat the terrorist group Boko Haram.

The United States will send 300 troops and a number of drones to help conduct surveillance and reconnaissance operations that will help the Cameroonian government battle Boko Haram, Reuters reported.

Cameroon, along with Nigeria and Chad, have waged pitched battles against the Islamic State-allied group in an effort to eradicate its territorial holdings. As a result, the group has struck back in a series of suicide bombings, which have taken a particularly severe toll on Cameroon, most recently in an attack by two female suicide bombers. The group, which made international headlines when it kidnapped hundreds of girls taking school exams last year, has increasingly turned toward the tactic of using female bombers, as they arouse less suspicion from security forces.

An advance force of 90 soldiers is already on its way to Cameroon and will be joined by the rest of the force shortly. The White House says that the troops will only provide reconnaissance and surveillance support, and will not be sent out into the field to conduct combat operations with Cameroonian troops. The White House says that the troops will be armed only for their own protection, and that they will remain in Cameroon until it is believed they are no longer needed.

The kit soldiers will be using is not entirely known, but it has been confirmed they will be using Predator drones. The troops will be deployed in the north Cameroonian city of Garoua, which is close to the Nigerian border.

Boko Haram originated in and is strongest in Nigeria, and for a long time controlled large swathes of Nigerian territory.