Cameroon's army captured a regional Boko Haram chief and freed 900 hostages during a three-day operation near the country's border with Nigeria, the government said.
Aladji Gana, a local chief for the Islamist militant group, was seized by the West African nation's forces. About 100 militants were killed during the Nov. 26-Nov. 28 operation and authorities recovered weapons, propaganda materials and jihadi flags, Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. The fighters have been cleared from the area, he said.
Cameroon has faced incursions from the Boko Haram militants and its army is part of a regional force combating the group that also includes soldiers from Niger and Chad. The group's home base is Nigeria, where it's been waging an insurgency since 2009 to establish Shariah.
The Nigerian army said on Wednesday in a statement that it's working toward meeting a Dec. 31 deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari to eliminate the threat of the group, which carries out regular attacks such as bombings and kidnappings.