THE United States has deployed troops to Cameroon to help fight Boko Haram.
U.S. personnel began deploying on Monday under an arrangement with the Cameroon government, according to reports.
An administration official said on condition of anonymity that an
advance force of 90 military personnel has arrived in Cameroon. A total
of up to about 300 U.S. service members will be deployed.
The forces will be conducting airborne intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance operations, the official said, adding they would be
armed for their own protection. Obama notified House Speaker John
Boehner, R-Ohio, in a letter. The White House released the letter
Wednesday.
The White House said yesterday that the troops will be armed to
defend themselves, not to engage in combat and will stay in Cameroon
until they are no longer needed. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said
the deployment is part of an effort to conduct airborne intelligence
gathering in support of efforts to counter violent extremists in the
region.
Cameroon has been battling Boko Haram militants. Early this week,
two female suicide bombers suspected to be members of the militant group
killed nine people near the town of Mora in Cameroon’s Far North
region. At the weekend, five suicide bombers had killed dozens in a part
of Chad that borders Nigeria.