Cameroon Army Kills More than 100 Boko Haram Fighters

Local Editor

Cameroon said on Monday its soldiers had killed "more than 100" Boko Haram fighters during an attempted incursion by the Nigeria-based extremist insurgents, while across the border thousands continued to flee the group's advances.

The Cameroonian army dealt "a severe setback" to Boko Haram during clashes in the north of the country on Saturday, government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in a statement read out on state radio.

The statement, which could not be immediately verified, said Boko Haram militants fired two shells on the town of Fotokol in Cameroon's northern tip, on the border with Nigeria.

"There were no casualties reported on the Cameroonian side," the statement said.
"Our defense forces responded vigorously with mortar fire aimed at the positions held by units of the Boko Haram terrorist group. The Cameroonian response resulted in over 100 deaths among the aggressors."

The Boko Haram militants were pushed back towards the Nigerian border town of Gamboru Ngala, separated only by a footbridge from Cameroon, which they seized over a week ago.
Meanwhile, panicked residents continued to flee their homes in northeast Nigeria on Monday in fear of extremist attacks.

The exodus from Mubi, the commercial hub of Adamawa state, began on Sunday after the insurgents seized the town of Michika around 40 kilometers away the day before.
Boko Haram has seized control of a number of towns in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states in recent weeks, prompting fears the government could soon lose control of the entire region.

The fear of attack grew on Monday after the families of police officers were ordered to evacuate, said resident Muhammad Maishanu.
The Nigerian military has appeared largely powerless to stop the militants' advance.
Residents in Michika said airforce jets were circling above the town but were unable to strike because the insurgents had taken cover in civilian houses.
In Mubi, where thousands have taken refuge in recent weeks, locals were thronging the main bus depot on Monday.

The United States last week said it was alarmed by reports that Boko Haram had captured the Borno town of Bama and the possibility of an attack on the state capital, Maiduguri, 70 kilometers away.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team