YAOUNDE, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A key separatist commander who called himself "General JC" has been killed after government forces struck a separatist hideout in Cameroon's war-torn Anglophone region of Northwest, local and security sources said late Sunday.

The crackdown, as confirmed by a military official in the region who requested not to be named, was launched on Sunday in Bamenda, Cameroon's most populated Anglophone city and capital of the Northwest Region.

"General JC" was among the first to take up arms in 2017 to fight the government. He was commanding one of the largest separatist groups in the region, according to security reports by local police.

The military official said he was "notorious" for kidnapping civilians for ransom and was "a real threat particularly to residents in Bamenda where he regularly launched attacks against civilians and soldiers."

Residents interviewed by Xinhua said there was a sigh of relief following his physical elimination.

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. Enditem

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