2 bombs explode by Nigerian mosque, killing at least 30

The militant group Boko Haram was blamed for the attacks. The troops are expected to arrive in Cameroon on Monday. But they are not expected to engage in direct combat. The president also said the drones wouldn’t be equipped with missiles.

Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza said the forces were deploying at the invitation of the government of Cameroon, and would coordinate their actions with the Cameroonian military. Cameroon has been governed since 1982 by strongman Paul Biya.

“The combined activities conducted at this location are created to better enhance the capability and capacity of our partners in the Cameroon defense forces to promote stability and security within Cameroon and the surrounding region”, she said.

It is not the first time US military aid denied to Nigeria, where Boko Haram has as many as 9,000 fighters, has instead been supplied to its neighbors. Traditional female dress provides suicide bombers with excellent cover and concealment in Muslim territories like northeastern Nigeria. The regions remain under a state of emergency. The government instituted similar measures in February. “The Nigerian army and indeed the military as the symbol of our nationhood is being challenged”.

The conflict has been going on since 2009, and Boko Haram vows to kill and drive out every Christian from the country.

Authorities also arrested eight suspected attackers, police spokesman Paul Manka said on Thursday.

Speaking to the BBC, the Nigerian military has stuck to its claims that these attacks are not an indication that Boko Haram has the capacity to cause significant damage, but a sign that they are desperate. At the weekend, 41 people were killed in triple explosions in Baga Sola, on the Chadian side of Lake Chad, where Nigeria meets Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

“There are thousands of American personnel already there, this has been going on for a while, the whole objective is to destroy Nigeria”, he added.

The President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir agreed with Short.

The White House decision comes as Boko Haram steadily expands operations beyond its traditional base in northern Nigeria.

Advertisement

“I will be determined to stay and fight it out”.