Isis-B'Haram coalition frightens NGA'rians as thousands flee to CMR

More than 200 vehicles with troops from Chad and Niger arrived in Nigeria on Monday as regional efforts to fight Boko Haram. There are also rumours of the Nigerian Islamist militants pledging allegiance to Islamic State (IS) which controls swathes of Syria and Iraq, intensifies, Deutsche Welle report.

As Cameroon, Chad and Niger form a multinational force with Nigerian troops to confront Boko Haram, the militant Islamists have said they are seeking a formal tie-up with IS.

A Nigerian eyewitness disclosed that.“The IS is in fact very strong so we have to make a reasonable contribution to tackle the issue of Boko Haram before it gets beyond our control.”

It would be recalled; more than 13,000 people have lost their lives in the Boko Haram insurgency since it began in 2009.

Risk Consultants Red24 analyst, Ryan Cumming disclosed that Boko Haram’s pledge of allegiance was a significant development in that it elevated the group among the international jihadist community and could possibly translate into having access to additional combatants.

“You could see Boko Haram coordinating operations with some North African groups who are operating under the Islamic State banner. But it doesn’t necessarily mean there is going to be a discernible change in what is happening on the ground in northeastern Nigerian,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to Cameroonian military sources, thousands of Nigerian settlers including children, have fled to Cameroon due to the fight between Boko Haram and coalition of Chadian and Nigerian armies, World bulletin report.

The source that declined to be named told Xinhua that more than 100 families including a large number of children fled to Cameroon after the new fighting broke out in northeast Nigeria.