24 out of 80 Boko Haram hostages freed by Cameroon army

Cameroon’s army has freed 24 hostages kidnapped during a cross-border attack by suspected Boko Haram fighters, government officials said. In their latest cross-border raid on Sunday, Boko Haram fighters seized at least 80 people in northern Cameroon, most of them women and children. Cameroon Information Minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakari, told Al Jazeera that the Cameroon army was able to free at least 24 of the hostages yesterday. ”They were freed as defence forces pursued the attackers who were heading back to Nigeria,” defence ministry spokesman, Colonel Didier Badjeck said.
The attack on Sunday occurred in the village of Mabass, in the Far North region, Bakary said, adding that 80 houses were destroyed. Bakary said:“We are dealing with barbaric people, lawless people. Nothing can prevent them from assassinating.” The raid came a day after neighbouring Chad deployed troops to combat Boko Haram in Cameroon and Nigeria, as part of a regional bid to combat the group.