Since 2013, the military has considerably weakened the Boko Haram militia from a dreaded terrorist group to hide-and-seek suicide bombers.

Cameroonians are welcoming with awe and pride news from the warfront as Cameroon’s Defence Forces are combing through Boko Haram strongholds deep inside Nigerian territory with results that would make even West Point Military Academy graduates envious. According to a press release by government’s spokesperson and Communication Minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakary on February 28, 2016, 92 Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised after Special Units of the Cameroonian Defence Forces dismantled the strongholds of the terrorist group in the locality of Kumshe in Nigeria, situated about 15 kilometres away from Cameroon’s borders.

During the special operation that took place from February 23 to 24, 2016, the Special Units who operated under the banner of Sector I of the Multinational Joint Task Force, were backed by Special Units of the Alpha and Emergence 4 Operations and in perfect synergy with Nigerian Armed Forces.

In an earlier media outing on February 16, 2016, the Minister of Communication had hailed Cameroon’s Defence and Security Forces engaged in the fight against Boko Haram saying, “Cameroonians are proud of them, proud of their bravery, their loyalty, their patriotism, their selflessness, their sense of sacrifice and their professionalism, thanks to which our country is today on the verge of annihilating the macabre and destructive Boko Haram criminal horde.” Issa Tchiroma Bakary gave a balance sheet of the victorious assault led by Cameroon’s Special Forces in the Nigerian locality of Ngoshe from February 11 to 14, 2016.

According to Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 162 Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised and four artisanal mine factories dismantled. From the factories, five ready-to-be-used mines, hundreds of explosive holders, batteries, detonating cords, suicide bomber vests and various sharp objects used to trigger explosives were seized. Still during the offensive, two pickup vehicles were set on fire while several weapons were seized and a hundred prisoners released.

Earlier on, from 2 to 3 December 2015, the Special Alpha and Emergence IV Operations Forces of Cameroon and those of the First Sector of the Multinational Joint Task Force, in complete synergy with Nigerian Defence Forces, conducted military operations against the withdrawal positions of the Boko Haram Terrorist Group in the Far North Region sharing border with Nigeria. One of the localities had hitherto served as a logistics and transit base as well as infiltration corridor for Boko Haram suicide bombers to Cameroon. “The operation led to the neutralization of many terrorists and the arrest of five of them,” explained Minister Tchiroma in a release a few days later.

In the night of January 4 to 5, 2016 at 10 p.m. an attack by the insurgents against the village of Ouro-Mari in the Makary Subdivision was foiled thanks to the immediate response of the elements of the Rapid Intervention Battalion at Fotokol. In the night of January 12 to 13, 2016, elements of the Defence Forces pushed back an attack by Boko Haram in the Kolofata Sub-division, killing two assailants.

Experts attribute successes recorded so far to the use of strategy and excellent training of Cameroonian soldiers, hailed by observers to be a professional army.