Cameroonian
and Nigerian forces have freed several hundred hostages in a border town held
by Boko Haram including young girls who were being trained as suicide bombers,
the commander of Cameroonian forces said Saturday.
Soldiers
from the two countries also killed about 100 militants while liberating the
Nigerian town of Kumshe, Gen. Jacob Kodji told The Associated Press. The town
is 9 miles (15 kilometers) from the border with Cameroon.
"Our
boys are still on the field with Nigerian soldiers and have received
instructions to continue raids on all Boko Haram border villages until we
defeat them," the general said.
Boko
Haram began its insurgency six years ago in Nigeria, and has since expanded to
the countries of Cameroon, Niger and Chad as those neighbors have aided the
military effort to quash the extremists.
The
jihadist group, which has pledged its loyalty to the Islamic State group, has
killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 2.8 million in West Africa,
according to the United Nations and Amnesty International.
The
Boko Haram militants gained international attention when they kidnapped nearly
300 schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Chibok. Dozens escaped on their own
but more than 200 girls from Chibok remain missing.