YAOUNDE, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Seven separatist fighters, including a key commander, were killed when government forces struck their hideout early on Saturday in Cameroon's war-torn Anglophone region of Northwest, according to several local and security sources.
The crackdown, as confirmed by a military official in the region who requested not to be named, was launched in the early hours of Saturday in the Boyo division of the region.
Among those killed was a key commander who referred to himself as "General RK."
"General RK was among the first to take up arms in 2017 to fight the government. He was leading several groups of fighters in the Northwest region and was responsible for the deaths of many soldiers and civilians," the official told Xinhua by phone. He added that the physical elimination of General RK could be a significant setback to the separatist insurgency in the region.
Fighting between government forces and separatist fighters has persisted in Cameroon's two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017 when separatists attempted to establish an independent nation in these regions. ■
