Nigeria names head of regional force to fight Boko Haram

Nigeria has named the head of a new multinational force created to fight Boko Haram jihadists carrying out a wave of attacks.

The announcement came as Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited Cameroon in a bid to forge a stronger regional alliance against the Islamists.

Major General Iliya Abbah, who previously commanded military operations in the oil-rich Niger Delta, will head the five-nation Multi-National Joint Task Force made up of Eight thousand seven hundred troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.

The force is expected to be more effective than a current alliance in the battle to end Boko Haram's six-year insurgency, which has claimed some 15 thousand lives.

NEWS24