Cameroon has carried out its first set of airstrikes against Islamist militant organisation Boko Haram after the group overran a military base in the north of the country.
Some 1,000 Boko Haram militants attacked five towns and the military camp, briefly occupying it over the weekend, after Cameroon's troops were forced to abandon it.
Lieutenant Colonel Didier Badjeck told Reuters,
Cameroon's Information Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said the air strikes marked "a new escalation in the Cameroonian response... to multiple enemy attacks."
At least 41 militants were killed over the weekend said the government.
Some 1,000 Boko Haram militants attacked five towns and the military camp, briefly occupying it over the weekend, after Cameroon's troops were forced to abandon it.
Lieutenant Colonel Didier Badjeck told Reuters,
"After that, the head of state ordered the air force to carry out strikes. With the bombardment, the fighters were forced to decamp from Achigachia."The attacks mark the first time Cameroon has deployed its air force against Boko Haram, who have carried out several cross-border raids from Nigeria into Cameroon.
Cameroon's Information Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said the air strikes marked "a new escalation in the Cameroonian response... to multiple enemy attacks."
At least 41 militants were killed over the weekend said the government.