Boko Haram unrest: Cameroon air strikes on Nigerian militants
Cameroon has carried out its first air strikes against militant Islamist group Boko Haram, after it overran a military base and attacked five villages, officials have said.
Cameroon has carried out its first air strikes against militant Islamist group Boko Haram, after it overran a military base and attacked five villages, officials have said.
The military repelled the coordinated attacks and regained control of the base, they added.
At least 41 militants and one soldier were killed, the officials said.
The Nigeria-based group is increasingly carrying out cross-border raids, threatening Cameroon's security.
The latest fighting was the most intense, lasting for three days along several fronts, reports the BBC's Jean-David Mihamle from Cameroon's capital Yaounde.
'New escalation'
About 1,000 militants attacked five villages, including Amchide, and seized the nearby Achigachia military base, where they raised their black flag, army spokesman Lt Col Didier Badjeck told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
He said President Paul Biya then personally ordered the air force to intervene, forcing the militants out.
"Now the area is totally secured."
Lt Col Badjeck said the air strikes showed that Boko Haram would face a "hard reaction" if it attacked Cameroon again, with the government determined to use all its capability to protect its territory.
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