Abuja, January 19 (RHC)-- Takfiri Boko Haram militants have attacked northern Cameroon -- abducting dozens of people as a contingent of soldiers from neighboring Chad arrived in the central African country to battle the Nigeria-based terrorists.

A Cameroonian police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Boko Haram militants on Sunday "burst into two villages in the Tourou area. They torched houses and left with around 60 people. Most of these people were women and children." He added that the attack has "left some people dead," adding that the Cameroonian army has "launched an operation" in the wake of the assault.

The development comes as thousands of Chadian troops have arrived in Cameroon. The soldiers passed through the Chadian town of Bongor, entered Cameroon through the northern town of Yagoua, and are on their way to Maroua in northern Cameroon.

Colonel Didier Badjeck, spokesman for Cameroon's military, has said that Chadian soldiers will be deployed to the war zone on the border with Nigeria, and they will work together with Cameroonian forces. Cameroon's President Paul Biya announced on January 15th that Chad was going to send military forces to help Cameroonian forces fight the Boko Haram militants.

On January 12th, the Cameroonian army killed 143 Boko Haram militants as they mounted an offensive on a military camp in the northern town of Kolofata, located approximately 840 kilometers (521 miles) northeast of the capital, Yaounde.

Cameroon also launched airstrikes against Boko Haram on December 28th, after nearly 1,000 militants from the group assaulted a military camp located near its northern border. The Cameroonian troops in the camp were forced to flee. The base was, however, retaken later.