After recording a number of key wins against Islamic terrorist sect Boko Haram, Cameroon endured its first major loss this week, when the militants killed 70 Cameroonians, reports the BBC.
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On Tuesday, Boko Haram continued to make good on its promise to punish neighboring Cameroon for not denouncing Western education and allowing their youth to join Boko Haram.
Storming the border town of Fotokol, the sect attacked unsuspecting civilians in their homes and in the town’s mosques with impunity.
How Boko Haram killed dozens of people was reportedly a gruesome sight.
The BBC reports:
Residents of Fotokol interviewed by the AFP news agency said the militants had killed many people by slitting their throats.
“Boko Haram inflicted so much damage here this morning,” Umar Babakalli, a resident of Fotokol, told the agency by telephone. “They have killed dozens of people.”
Both the Cameroonian and Chadian forces were eventually able to rout out Boko Haram’s forces — but not before the sect was able to wage war on innocent people.
Before Tuesday’s heavy losses, Cameroon killed 173 militants in the town of Kolofata mid-January, which was the largest number of casualties sustained by Boko Haram outside of Nigeria.
The Cameroonian military also managed to recover a number of civilians who had been abducted by the militants while in hot pursuit.
Chad’s military presence has also been instrumental in attempting to bring Boko Haram under control.
On Monday, Chad announced the killing of more than 200 terrorists in the nearby Gamboru.
In addition, the African Union is pulling together nearly 8,000 fighters from the aforementioned Chad and Cameroon as well as Niger and Nigeria to stop Boko Haram.
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