Cameroon army kills 86 Boko Haram Islamists and detains more than 1,000 suspects

The Cameroonian army claims to have killed 86 Boko Haram militants following a deadly attack on a military base.

Authorities said the armed confrontation took place in Waza region which is located near the border with Nigeria.

Five Cameroonian soldiers were also killed in the fighting which is thought to have lasted for at least two hours.

"The official death toll reported seven wounded, five dead (Cameroonian side) and 86 attackers killed. There has been a series of clashes," said Colonel Didier Badjeck, a spokesperson for the defence ministry.

Security personnel have also arrested more than 1,000 suspects who may have links to the Nigeria-based Islamist terror group, which is on a rampage expanding its presence in other African nations.

"Right now, the prison Maroua has over 1,000 Boko Haram. All were arrested on Cameroonian territory in our operations. The maximum of what we know of their organisation [Boko Haram] has these prisoners," Colonel Joseph Nouma, who was part of the operation, told the AFP news agency.

Hundreds of troops from Cameroon are already stationed in the African nation's Far North region to combat the militants since last year.

African forces have embarked on an intensified military push against Boko Haram in Nigeria with troops from Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin uniting to fight the militants. The nations which directly bear the brunt of Boko Haram Islamist insurgency have pledged to deploy 8,700 troops primarily in Nigeria.

More than 160 Boko Haram suspects have also been arrested in Niger near the Nigeria border.

"We would like to warmly thank the residents of the Diffa region whose assistance has allowed us to arrest more than 160 suspects," national police spokesperson Adily Toro announced on local television.

Investigators are interrogating the detainees to gather more information about the extremist group.