200 militants killed by Cameroonian, Chadian armies

At least 200 Boko Haram militants were killed Wednesday in a fighting with a joint army of Cameroon and Chad in Cameroon's Far-North Region, military sources told Xinhua news agency over phone.

Around 7,000 militants attacked Fotokol, a town in Far-North Region, Wednesday morning with heavy equipment, including 30 armored trucks and sophisticated weapons, killing three Cameroonian soldiers and 14 Chadian soldiers, forcing the joint army to retreat, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

The joint army recaptured Fotokol a few hours later after an offensive.

The sources said the preliminary casualties on the Boko Haram side is at least 200, but no official clarification is available.

According to a villager in the area, many civilians left their homes to escape the violence.

The African Union decided at the recent summit to form a multinational troops of 7,500 to fight against Boko Haram.

The leaders of Economic Community of Central Africa States will hold a summit Feb 16 in Cameroon's capital Yaounde to discuss the issue on the formation of the miltnational forces.