Multinational troops fighting Boko
Haram in West Africa will be able to pursue the militants across
borders, Nigeria's presidential spokesman says.
Garba Shehu told
the BBC this was there was now trust between those contributing troops
since the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in May.
He was speaking ahead of the Nigerian leader's visit to Cameroon.
A boosted force with 8,700 troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria is to become fully operational next month.
Relations
between Nigeria and Cameroon have been fraught for years because of
territorial disputes, in particular over the Bakassi peninsula.
The oil-rich region was eventually awarded to Cameroon by an international court.
BBC
Nigeria analyst Naziru Mikailu says Mr Buhari is trying to smooth over
these diplomatic tensions as he meets President Paul Biya as both
nations now face a new enemy threatening their territorial integrity.
On Tuesday, Cameroon announced it would deploy an extra 2,000 troops along its northern border with Nigeria to fight Boko Haram.
It follows an upsurge in suicide attacks in northern Cameroon blamed on the Nigerian militants.
'In disarray'
With
the help of troops from Chad and Niger, earlier this year the Nigerian
army managed to retake most of the areas taken over by the militants in
north-eastern Nigeria.
Although the militants have lost their
strongholds, they are still active and there has been an upsurge in
suicide attacks since Mr Buhari took office.
"Boko Haram is in disarray and it is doubtful they have any central command," Mr Shehu told the BBC's Newsday programme.
President Buhari has made the multinational force central to his government's strategy in tackling the insurgency.
The
force of soldiers, police and civilian personnel will be based in
Chad's capital, N'Djamena, which has also been affected by the violence.
"All
the countries agreed this operation will not recognise international
boundaries - wherever terrorists are they will be chased to these
locations and they will be fought until they are finished," Mr Shehu
said.
At least 17,000 people have been killed since Boko Haram
launched its insurgency in northern Nigeria 2009, according to Amnesty
International.
Source:
BBC
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