Yaounde , Cameroon ( CNN ) Boko Haram insurgents have kidnapped 80 people in northern Cameroon , officials said , an attack that comes as troops from neighboring Chad entered Cameroon to join the fight against the terrorist group . The attacks happened in the villages of Mabass and Makxy in the Mayo-Tsanaga Division of the Far North Region of Cameroon on Sunday morning , Saiid Abdulkarim , a journalist for the state broadcaster , told CNN . Three of those kidnapped were found dead , Abdulkarim said . The Cameroonian government did not immediately comment . Meanwhile , thousands of Chadian troops arrived in Cameroon to join that country 's soldiers in the fight against Boko Haram . The governor of Cameroon 's Far North Region , Mijiyawa Bakary , told CNN that the first contingent of Chadian troops arrived in a convoy of more than 400 vehicles , and a second wave of soldiers were expected to arrive soon . The Chadian soldiers `` are coming in with dozens of tanks , armored vehicles and other military equipment , '' Cameroon defense ministry spokesman Col. Didier Badjeck said . The Chadian parliament unanimously voted Friday to send troops to Cameroon and Nigeria to join in the fight against Boko Haram . The move comes after Cameroon 's President , Paul Biya , made a strong call for international cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram . Biya told diplomats recently that Boko Haram was `` a global threat '' that calls `` for a global response . '' `` Such should be the response of the international community , including the African Union and our regional organizations , '' he said . Chadian officials concluded that Boko Haram also poses a danger to Chad . Chadian President Idriss Deby said attacks on Cameroon by the terrorist group could destroy Chad 's economy . `` We ca n't remain indifferent to what is happening to our neighbors , '' Deby said . `` Cameroon is the entry and exit point for Chad economically . '' Much of what is imported to Chad comes through the Cameroonian seaport of Douala , and Chad 's crude oil is transported through a pipeline that runs from southern Chad to a floating facility 11 kilometers ( almost 7 miles ) off the Cameroon coast . The presence of Chadian troops on the front could be key to reversing the gains so far made by the terrorist group . Trained in desert combat , Chadian forces played a critical role in fighting jihadists in northern Mali , where they became major allies to French troops in the fight against terrorists there . In fact , they were instrumental in the killing of some high-profile jihadists . The involvement of Chadian troops marks a major shift in Cameroon-Chad anti-terrorism cooperation . In the past year , it focused mostly on securing individual borders . While Chad is the first country to put boots on the ground in Cameroon , the international community and regional bodies are also expressing concern . On Friday , the Russian ambassador to Cameroon , Nicolay Ratsiborinski , said his country will supply Cameroon with modern and sophisticated military weapons . He said the equipment will include heavy artillery , armored cars and missiles . Michael Stephen Hoza , U.S. ambassador to Cameroon , also said his country would help train Cameroon soldiers and offer equipment for the fight . Boko Haram has been staging cross-border raids on Cameroon , the latest being the attempt by the insurgents to take over a Cameroon military base in Kolofata . Cameroonian troops killed 143 of them , and lost one soldier . On January 3 , Boko Haram fighters briefly took over control of a military base in Achigashia , forcing Cameroonian soldiers to retreat and then for the first time use airstrikes against the insurgents . Attacks on military installations mark a big shift in Boko Haram operations in Cameroon . Initially , they would cross the border and either attack to steal food or kidnap nationals and expatriates in exchange for ransoms . Cameroon has already deployed about 7,000 troops across the Far North , where Boko Haram has scaled up attacks over the past six months .
Boko Clan from Nigeria kidnaps young people after attacks on villages in Cameroon . The attacks come as troops from neighboring Chad arrive in Cameroon to help fight the terrorist group .