It was another heavy clashes again on Tuesday, when Cameroonian troops engaged the Islamic militants in battle near the border with Nigeria. The fighting was on while a security summit on how to clear the insurgents from African region was taking place.

Boko Haram insurgents from neighboring Nigeria attacked the far northern Cameroon border village of Bonderi, a source told AFP, adding that “it’s too early to give a casualty toll”.

The fighting comes as Nigeria and its regional neighbors, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon, met in Niger’s capital Niamey to plan a strategy against the Islamist fighters.

Boko Haram controls swathes of Nigeria and has stepped up cross-border attacks in the region as part of an insurgency that has left 13,000 dead and forced 1.5 million from their homes since 2009.

Chad sent a convoy of troops and 400 military vehicles into Cameroon Saturday to help in the fight against Boko Haram and its president has called for the creation of a regional force.