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President Barack Obama has made the decision to send 300 troops to Cameroon to assist in the effort to curb the Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

According to US News & World Report, the president announced the move Wednesday, adding that an additional 90 military personnel have already arrived in Cameroon. The letter released by the White House also stressed troops wouldn’t be combative in Cameroon and would only be present for self-defense. Troops will also conduct “airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the region.”

The country has been been under siege since Boko Haram stretched their operations outside of Northern Nigeria.

Yahoo! News reports that nine people were killed and 29 injured in twin suicide bombings in northern Cameroon on Sunday.

“Like northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon is predominantly Muslim and it is also a part of the country that has historically been somewhat marginalized,” said John Campbell, a former US ambassador to Nigeria, now with the Council on Foreign Relations.

“It will be part of a broader regional effort to stop the spread of Boko Haram and other violent extremist organizations in West Africa,” added White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Obama’s letter to reporters claim the troops will remain in Cameroon “until their support is no longer needed.” The troops are expected to arrive in Cameroon on Monday.

SOURCE: US News & World Report, Yahoo! News | VIDEO CREDIT: Inform

SEE ALSO: 

 9,800 Soldiers To Remain In Afghanistan Through 2016 To Continue Helping Fight The Taliban (POLL)

President Obama Approves Deployment Of 300 Troops To Cameroon To Assist With Boko Haram  was originally published on newsone.com