Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger have agreed
to quickly form a new force that would comprise
2,800 soldiers to fight the Boko Haram insurgents.
The defence ministers of Nigeria, Cameroon,
Chad and Niger said they would each contribute
700 troops to the force.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation,
Niger’s Defence Minister, Karidio Mahamadou,
said they were determined to “eradicate this
curse”.
Boko Haram’s insurgency is focused on Nigeria,
but it has carried out some cross-border raids.
It was suspected of blowing up the Ngala bridge,
which lies on a key transport link between north-
eastern Nigeria and Cameroon, on Wednesday.
Cars and lorries loaded with goods are stranded
on the highway, residents told the BBC.
The regional defence ministers met in Niger’s
capital, Niamey, on Wednesday, to hold further
discussions on the growing threat posed by Boko
Haram.
While the meeting was ongoing, the Islamist
group again unleashed terror on Kaduna killing 70
people. A former Head of State, General
Muhammadu Buhari (retd) who was caught in the
violent attacks narrowly escaped death.
Boko Haram has not commented, but it is
suspected to have carried out the attacks.
It launched an insurgency in 2009 to create an
Islamic state in Nigeria.
In May, the four West African countries, whose
borders meet at Lake Chad, agreed to share
intelligence and coordinate border security.
Efforts to step up regional co-operation gained
momentum after Boko Haram caused an
international outcry by abducting more than 200
girls from a boarding school in north-eastern
Nigeria.
The girls are said to be held in the vast Sambisa
forest, along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon.
Boko Haram has carried out a spate of abductions
in Cameroon – including that of tourists and
priests.
Unconfirmed reports say the group has also
recruited fighters from Chad and Niger... http://www.punchng.com/news/nigeria-cameroon-others-deploy-2800-troops-against-boko-haram/