Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad all vowed to organize a joint force to address the growing threat that the Nigeria-based Boko Haram Islamist militants pose in the region.

Each West African state agreed to send 700 men to join the force in a bid to beef up the region's defense against Boko Haram. The militants further stirred up insurgency in the northern part of Nigeria and attacked other nearby countries, Reuters reported.

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Niger's minister of defense Karidio Mahamadou said the move signifies their commitment to exert all efforts to "eradicate" the Boko Haram threat.

All four countries share a border at Lake Chad, a place controlled by Boko Haram. They share intelligence with each other and cooperate on security measures in the area, but organizing a regional force would significantly boost their joint defense.

The announcement came on the heels of a meeting attended by the defense ministers of the four nations. However, the details on the location and schedule of deployment are still under wraps.

The Boko Haram militants already put to death thousands since 2009 when they started their efforts to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria.

In northern Nigeria, bombings and other violent attacks are very common, but Boko Haram made headlines worldwide when the group abducted around 200 school girls three months ago. The kidnapping incident pushed international organizations to demand concrete action and urge presidents in the region to go on an all-out war against Boko Haram.

Cameroon and Niger beefed up their security forces near the border, but the regional forces still showed no signs of launching a major offensive against the militants.

Based on an estimate by the Human Rights Watch last week, the militant group killed over 2,000 civilians within the first six months of this year.

On Wednesday, 82 people died during two suicide bombings in the city of Kaduna. One of the attacks targeted an ex-president and an opposition leader, while the other targeted a Muslim cleric who was about to lead a group prayer.

TagsBoko Haram, West Africa, Joint Forces