Cameroon Soldiers Kill 107 Boko Haram Fighters
Cameroon said Friday its army killed 107 Boko Haram fighters in ferocious combat this week in its north, in a claimed success against the Nigeria-based Islamist guerrilla group.
The "fighting of rare violence" occurred in two areas in the north on Wednesday and Thursday and also resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers, the defense ministry said in a statement read on state radio.
It was not possible to independently verify the information or the toll.
The ministry said that, late Wednesday, heavily armed Boko Haram members travelling in armored vehicles crossed over the border from Nigeria into the towns of Amchide and Limani, sparking fierce battles with Cameroonian soldiers.
After a pause, fighting resumed on Thursday and the Cameroonian troops pushed the Boko Haram units back across the border, it said.
A tank, a pick-up truck and a Peugeot car packed with ammunition and explosives were destroyed by the soldiers, it said.
"Several light and heavy arms were seized," it said. "Calm has returned and our defense forces are in control of the border areas," it said.
Cameroon shares a border of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) with Nigeria, where Boko Haram has been waging a bloody insurgency since 2009 in which 10,000 people have died.
Source: Agence France Presse
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