--- description: The government says at least one Cameroonian corporal was killed in the standoff title: Cameroon Government Says It Killed 143 Boko Haram Militants image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa5abd76b060f52e/69877916cd1bba4b9b6f48e5/boko-haram.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Cameroon](/tag/cameroon/) ## Cameroon Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Cameroon Says It Has Killed 143 Boko Haram Militants ## Video: Boko Haram Razes Villages, Kills Hundreds In Latest Assault [Watch (HLS stream): Boko Haram Razes Villages, Kills Hundreds In Latest Assault](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/llawqr5Z.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2015-01-11. The militant group Boko Haram attacked the Nigerian town of Baga this week, killing many people and burning villages to the ground._ by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 13, 2015 1:58 PM CUT  Screengrab taken on Oct. 2, 2014 from a video released by the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, shows group's leader Abubakar Shekau. Screengrab taken on Oct. 2, 2014 from a video released by the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, shows group's leader Abubakar Shekau.AFP/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 13, 2015 1:58 PM CUT The government of Cameroon says its military killed [143 Boko Haram extremists](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f387bea8dfb34ecda957a8a8c25e2685/cameroon-govt-says-143-boko-haram-militants-killed "undefined") in a standoff near the country’s border with Nigeria. The Islamic extremist group has been terrorizing Nigeria for the past five years and has gained new momentum leading up to the country’s scheduled presidential election. In a statement issued Tuesday, the Cameroonian government said military engaged in a five-hour fight with extremists that left at least one corporal dead and four soldiers wounded, along with the dozens of Boko Haram militants who were killed, according to the [_Associated Press_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f387bea8dfb34ecda957a8a8c25e2685/cameroon-govt-says-143-boko-haram-militants-killed "undefined"). [Boko Haram](http://time.com/3655969/boko-haram-nigeria-advance/ "undefined"), the group responsible for kidnapping hundreds of school girls last year, has carried out a slew of violent attacks in recent weeks. Last week, the group massacred the town of Baga in Nigeria—officials [estimate](http://time.com/3665006/boko-haram-nigeria-death-toll-150-2000/ "undefined") the death toll is 150, but it has been reported to be as high as 2,000. **Read next:** [Boko Haram Militants Are Back on the Attack in Nigeria as a Presidential Election Looms](http://time.com/3661230/boko-haram-attack-in-baga-nigeria/ "undefined") \[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f387bea8dfb34ecda957a8a8c25e2685/cameroon-govt-says-143-boko-haram-militants-killed "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3665288/cameroon-says-it-has-killed-143-boko-haram-militants/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3665288/cameroon-says-it-has-killed-143-boko-haram-militants/"},"headline":"Cameroon Says It Has Killed 143 Boko Haram Militants","datePublished":"2015-01-13T13:58:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:31:29.684Z","description":"Islamist extremists currently on the rampage in northeast Nigeria","url":"https://time.com/3665288/cameroon-says-it-has-killed-143-boko-haram-militants/","keywords":["Cameroon","Nigeria"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa5abd76b060f52e/69877916cd1bba4b9b6f48e5/boko-haram.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa5abd76b060f52e/69877916cd1bba4b9b6f48e5/boko-haram.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NIGERIA-CAMEROON-UNREST-FILES","caption":"Screengrab taken on Oct. 2, 2014 from a video released by the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, shows group's leader Abubakar Shekau.","creditText":"AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cameroon/","name":"Cameroon"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3665288/cameroon-says-it-has-killed-143-boko-haram-militants/","name":"Cameroon Says It Has Killed 143 Boko Haram Militants"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Boko Haram Razes Villages, Kills Hundreds In Latest Assault","description":"The militant group Boko Haram attacked the Nigerian town of Baga this week, killing many people and burning villages to the ground.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/llawqr5Z/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-01-11T16:37:36.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/llawqr5Z.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3665288/cameroon-says-it-has-killed-143-boko-haram-militants/","duration":"PT1M30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3665288/cameroon-says-it-has-killed-143-boko-haram-militants/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```