The decision was made on Tuesday following a summit attended by the presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Benin and the foreign minister of Cameroon in Niger’s capital, Niamey.

Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou said after the meeting that the establishment of a headquarters for the multi-national force will be “accelerated … to make it operational before the end of November.”

Battalions will be deployed to “our respective borders” in the same time frame, Issoufou added.

The Boko Haram Takfiri militants have established a strong presence in northeastern Nigeria and have committed massacres in the region.

“After gaining independence, the survival of our countries has never been so threatened by the menace of terrorism, by the forces of division and by organized crime,” Issoufou stated.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its militancy in 2009. Over 10,000 people have so far been killed in the assaults.

Nearly 650,000 Nigerians have been forced from their homes by Boko Haram attacks and are displaced inside Nigeria, while thousands more have taken refuge in neighboring countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

The notorious Takfiri group has also conducted a number of assaults and kidnappings in Cameroon, including the abduction of the wife to the country’s deputy prime minister, Amadou Ali, in late July. Following the abduction, the Cameroonian army launched a successful operation and rescued the abductee.

Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden.” The group says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.