U.S. Troops Deployed against Boko Haram and its Army of Child Soldiers

By Megan Abbot

This week, the U.S.  deployed 300 troops to Cameroon in order to support efforts against Boko Haram in neighboring Nigeria.  Boko Haram, the terrorist organization that kidnapped 274 girls from Chibok in Northern Nigeria in 2014, claims ties to the so-called Islamic State.  Philip Obaji reports for the Daily Beast that Boko Haram has been abducting children to serve as human shields and soldiers from Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, but that their increased activity in Cameroon has been striking. NPR reports on why Boko Haram has begun to enlist girls as young as 10 years old as suicide bombers. U.S. troops will be used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance against Boko Haram and their child soldiers.