Boko Haram: Cameroon hits bomb factories, command post

Tuesday, February 16, 2016 8:36 pm

Cameroonian soldiers

More details have emerged over Cameroon’s major assault against a key Boko Haram base in Nigeria last week, in which it inflicted heavy losses on the Islamist group, seized arms and freed prisoners.

The Cameroonian army offensive took place from February 11 to 14 in Ngoshe, also spelt as Goshi, in Nigeria, some 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the northern town of Ashigashia on the border between the two countries, government spokesman and Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in the statement.

“162 Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised,” or killed, and two Cameroonian soldiers also died, he said.

The minister said around 100 hostages had been released, including 15 Cameroonians, in the attack against the Boko Haram command post housing facilities for making bombs and mines.

The command post was also used to brainwash and train teenagers used as human bombs for kamikaze attacks, he said. Four facilities for making improvised mines were found there as well as hundreds of containers full of explosive devices, batteries, detonator wires and suicide vests, the statement said.

“The command post was also used to brainwash and train teenagers used as human bombs for kamikaze attacks,” he said.

Four facilities for making improvised mines were found there as well as hundreds of containers full of explosive devices, batteries, detonator wires and suicide vests, the statement said.

Among weapons seized were heavy machine-guns, rocket-launchers, AK-47s, grenades, 100 training rifles, uniforms and thousands of munitions.

The assault had been approved by Nigeria and was part of the “Arrow Five” operation involving a multinational force set up to fight Boko Haram that includes Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin.