Chad/Cameroon kill 250 Boko Haram fighters

[Anthea]

BBC News

Boko Haram attack: What happened in Baga?
By Thomas Fessy

Scores of men, women and children were killed in the Nigerian towns of Baga and Doron Baga on 3 January when Boko Haram militants launched a fierce attack. The exact number of dead remains unknown, but claims vary from 150 up to 2,000 people killed.

The BBC met survivors at refugee camps in Chad in order to piece together a picture of what happened that day.

We went to the military barracks to ask the soldiers what was happening. They told us that Boko Haram may be attacking, so we took our machetes and knives to defend ourselves"

When I was running and they were hunting us, shooting us, some people were falling and dying, others being run over with motorbikes and dying. Some reached the bank of the lake"

There was also a woman whose baby fell into the water. We got him out, gave her the baby back and she was able to get into the boat.. We entered boats, but they kept firing at us"

Boko Haram attacks

Hundreds killed in Baga attack - reports vary and verified figures unavailable

3,700 buildings damaged or destroyed

14,638 people have fled to Chad

774 people a day have crossed the border

5,000 fled inland to Borno state capital

105 unaccompanied children are among refugees at Ngouboua camp

UNHCR, Amnesty International

Link to Full Horrendous Article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30987043

[Londoner]

This is really unbelievable and a disaster.

[Anthea]

This is really unbelievable and a disaster.

It is sad that the many attacks by Boko Haram receive so little publicity

Where is mighty America and all it's coalition friends?

Why does the coalition only protect the victims of Islamic Jihadists if they are in Syria or Iraq

America has spent billions of dollars fighting IS in both Iraq and Syria

BOKO HARAM are just as dangerous and even more savage

Why does nobody help the poor people in Nigeria?

I think it is an international disgrace

[Anthea]

BBC News

Chad, Cameroon say kill 250 Boko Haram fighters in regional offensive

N'DJAMENA/DAKAR (Reuters) - Troops from Cameroon and Chad killed more than 250 Boko Haram militants in two days of heavy fighting in a major regional offensive against the Islamists from neighbouring Nigeria, their governments said on Wednesday.

Cameroon said it forces fought off an attack on one of its border towns early on Wednesday by Boko Haram, a group that has kidnapped hundreds and killed thousands in northern Nigeria and mounted increasingly bloody cross-border raids.

At least 50 militants and six soldiers died in the fighting in Fotokol, information minister Issa Tchiroma said. Cameroon's L'Oeil du Sahel newspaper said Boko Haram fighters raided mosques and houses in the town, slitting people's throats and killing dozens.

The reports could not be verified and Boko Haram does not give statements to the media.

The Sunni Muslim jihadist group is seen as the main security threat to Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and top oil producer, ahead of a Feb. 14 election. The African Union last week authorised a regional force of 7,500 troops to fight the militants.

Chad's army and state television said it had "completely wiped out" Boko Haram bases at Gambaru and Ngala in northern Nigeria on Tuesday, killing more than 200 militants. Nine Chadian soldiers died, they added.

Chadian TV footage on Wednesday showed jubilant Chadian soldiers cheering near to the bodies of what it said were two Boko Haram fighters.

Chad and Cameroon are deploying thousands of troops and Niger has reinforced its border against the militant group which has been fighting for five years to create an Islamist emirate.

But analysts say they are facing an uphill battle against a sect that has already seen off major offensives by Nigeria's military.

"Whether through intimidation, opportunism or genuine support for the radical Islamist cause, local communities continue to swell Boko Haram's ranks," said Roddy Barclay, senior Africa analyst at consultancy Control Risks.

Chad, reputed to have one of the region's best militaries, has carried out air strikes on insurgent positions over the last few days. Former colonial power France is also sending aircraft from its base in the Chadian capital to carry out surveillance missions in the border area.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/ ... 6820150204