MOSCOW, January 18 (Sputnik) — Eighty people, many of whom are children, have been reported abducted by suspected Boko Haram militants in Cameroon, Reuters reported.
"According to our initial information, around 30 adults, most of them herders, and 50 young girls and boys aged between 10 and 15 years were abducted," a military representative serving in northern Cameroon told the news agency.
The kidnappings occurred after neighboring Chad deployed military forces to fight Boko Haram, stop terrorist activities and back up Cameroon's troops in the region. Cameroon’s Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma confirmed that the militants killed three people and abducted dozens more. However, the exact numbers currently remain unknown.
Boko Haram, a militant Islamist organization, mainly conducts its activities in Nigeria but sometimes also carries out attacks in neighboring countries. The group is responsible for killing more than 5,000 since 2009.
