Cameroon Troops in 'Heavy Clashes' with Boko Haram

Cameroonian troops fought "heavy clashes" Tuesday with Boko Haram militants near the border with Nigeria as a security summit kicked off in Niger on a regional plan to stop the Islamist fighters. 

Boko Haram insurgents from neighboring Nigeria attacked the far northern Cameroon border village of Bonderi, a source told AFP, adding that "it's too early to give a casualty toll".

The fighting comes as Nigeria and its regional neighbors, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon, met in Niger's capital Niamey to plan a strategy against the Islamist fighters. 

Boko Haram controls swathes of Nigeria and has stepped up cross-border attacks in the region as part of an insurgency that has left 13,000 dead and forced 1.5 million from their homes since 2009.

Chad sent a convoy of troops and 400 military vehicles into Cameroon Saturday to help in the fight against Boko Haram and its president has called for the creation of a regional force. 

A Boko Haram assault this month on the town of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad trigged widespread outrage and helped spur calls for a broader response.

Amnesty International described the attack, which is believed to have killed hundreds of people, as "the biggest and most destructive" yet by the armed fundamentalists.