Cameroon forces have killed 41 Boko Haram fighters in the country's Far North region, Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary says, one day after a large attack by the militant group.
"Fending off a Boko Haram attack in the locality of Shogori, our defence forces killed 34 members of the terrorist group and destroyed two fighter jeeps belonging to Boko Haram," Tchiroma said in a communique.
Seven militants and one soldier were killed in a separate ambush.
On Sunday, Cameroon launched its first airstrikes against Boko Haram after 1000 militants attacked a military camp near the northern border and forced troops stationed there to flee.
"The engagement of the air force is a new step in Cameroon's fight against Boko Haram, given the multiplicity and variation of the enemy attacks," Lieutenant Colonel Didier Badjeck said.
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The military managed to recapture the base.
Boko Haram, which is based in Nigeria, has in recent months launched attacks in northern Cameroon, prompting the military to bolster its troops in the region.
Cameroon President Paul Biya declared war on Boko Haram in May, and has since deployed thousands of troops to the Far North Region.
Defence Minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o recently told parliament that about 20,000 soldiers will be recruited over the next two years to reinforce the fight.
