Chad to deploy troops to Cameroon to fight Boko Haram militants

NDJAMENA, Chad, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Chad will deploy "an important contingent" of soldiers to Cameroon to fulfill a promise made Thursday to "actively support" its neighbor from incursions by Nigeria-based Boko Haram militants.

In his announcement Friday, Cameroonian President Paul Biya did not say how many troops Chad planned to send or what role they would play in combating the militants.

Boko Haram declared war on Cameroon earlier this month via a video message purportedly from the group's leader, Abubakar Shekau. "Your troops cannot do anything to us," Shekau warns in the footage.

Chad has previously committed troops to a multinational force to fight the militants. Those troops were based in Baga, a Nigerian town that was seized and destroyed a week ago by Boko Haram, but withdrew them before the attack.

The proximity and the devastation of the assault on Baga resonated with Chadian officials. "This means Boko Haram could easily attack Chad," a senior government official in its Ministry of Communication told the Wall Street Journal.

Chad's latest troop commitment may signal renewed regional determination to combat Boko Haram.