Obama notifies Congress about U.S. troop deployment to Cameroon
President Obama on Wednesday said he's deploying 300 U.S. troops to Cameroon to conduct airborne intelligence and surveillance operations.
In a letter to congressional leaders, Obama said about 90 troops began deploying on Monday to the Central African country with the consent of its government.
"These forces are equipped with weapons for the purpose of providing their own force protection and security, and they will remain in Cameroon until their support is no longer needed," he said.
Obama said the deployment is to further U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
Over the weekend, there were suicide bombings in both Cameroon and Chad that killed more than 45 people. Cameroon borders Nigeria, which is home to Islamic militant group Boko Haram. The group has been blamed for the attacks.
Boko Haram, which this year became the West African franchise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has targeted northern Cameroon repeatedly in retaliation for Cameroon's participation in a regional military effort against the extremists. Last week, bombs planted at a bar in north Cameroon by suspected Boko Haram fighters killed 14 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
