Cameroon Uses Soldiers, Planes to Beat Back Boko Haram Assault

The military of Cameroon responded forcefully to incursions into its territory by Boko Haram, which has been terrorizing Nigeria for years.

Bloomberg reports that Boko Haram crossed into Cameroonian territory from Nigeria near the towns of Makary, Amchide, Limani and Achigachia. Cameroonian soldiers and air assets were then deployed in an effort to maintain control of the villages and beat back the Boko Haram offense. It is the first time Cameroon has used its air force against Boko Haram.

Reuters reports that the decision to attack multiple targets at once in a coordinated effort marks a change in tactics for the group. Boko Haram typically attacks one village at a time, looting and kidnapping.

The Cameroonian military says that 41 militants were killed in the fighting. One Cameroonian soldier was killed and three others wounded in the course of the fighting. The Cameroonian security forces were triumphant and Boko Haram was forced to retreat back into Nigeria.

Bloomberg notes that the threat from Boko Haram was so pervasive even before this attack that Cameroon stationed around 1,000 troops on its border with Nigeria in an effort to bolster security.

Nigeria has been coping attacks by Boko Haram for years, but in the past year they grabbed international headlines and sympathy with a raid on the town of Chibok as students sat for their final exams.

Boko Haram fighters entered the village and kidnapped more than 200 young girls, many of whom have been sold as brides.

The group has also successfully carried out a number of bombings in and around the Nigerian capital of Lagos, illustrating its long reach outside of the northern Nigerian territory that it rules.