143 Boko Haram Militants Killed by Cameroonian Army

Over 143 fighters from Boko Haram's militant group were killed when they attacked the military base in the northern town of Kolofata on Monday. The attack lasted for more than 5 hours until the militants fled back across the border. During the battle, one Cameroonian soldier is said to have lost his life. Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary in a televised statement said the toll was the 'heaviest loss yet' suffered by Boko Haram's fighters on Cameroonian soil. The attack comes at a time when there is already fears of further escalation in regions around Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

The attack was organized following Cameroons decision to deploy warplanes against the group in December when the militants seized a military camp in the region. Abubakar Shekau, group's leader vowed to hit back against the Cameroonian army last week through a YouTube message.

Nigeria's leader Goodluck Jonathan has been taking fierce criticism for failing to check Boko Harams progress. The militant group has now occupied at least 12 villages and towns in Northeast Nigeria over the last 6 months. Large parts of Borno state are already controlled by the group.  

"They have set up barricades in strategic locations in the town. There are corpses everywhere. The whole town smells of decomposing bodies," Borye Kime, one of the residents who fled to Chad to avoid the attack and briefly returned only to collect his possessions.

The insurgency group is fighting to create a hard-line Islamic state in north east Nigeria that has left over 13,000 people dead since 2009. Close to 1.5 million people have been displaced due to the conflict.