President Obama deployed 90 additional U.S. troops to Cameroon on Monday after that government asked for help with its battle against the terrorist group Boko Haram, and more troops will be following soon, the White House informed Congress on Wednesday.
The personnel are “armed for force protection” only and are “not there in a combat role,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. American troops have “unique” capabilities that Cameroon and its regional partners need to combat the militant Islamic group, he said.
“This deployment is in advance of the deployment of additional U.S. Armed Forces personnel to Cameroon to conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the region,” President Obama told Congress in a War Powers Resolution notification dated Wednesday.
Earnest said the new deployment is not the first group sent as part of Obama’s promise to help African nations beat back Boko Haram when he visited Kenya and Ethiopia this summer. Rather, it is an “increase” in that promised contribution.
They will participate in a broader effort to combat Boko Haram as part of a regional effort, Earnest said.
“The total number of U.S. military personnel to be deployed to Cameroon is anticipated to be up to approximately 300,” Obama wrote in the congressional notification. “These forces … will remain in Cameroon until their support is no longer needed.”
