At least 92 soldiers from Chad have been killed in an attack by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram on the country’s military forces on Sunday, in Lac province, which borders Niger and Nigeria.
“We lost 92 of our soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers. It’s the first time we have lost so many men”, president Idriss Deby said on Tuesday.
Military officials said that 24 army vehicles were destroyed in the attack, which lasted seven hours. They added that Boko Haram carried off weapons stolen from the military in speedboats. The reinforcements sent in to help were also targeted.
In a separate attack, the group killed at least 50 Nigerian soldiers in an ambush in eastern Borno state.
The attacks come as Boko Haram has launched a series of offensives in Chad, Niger and Cameroon, in addition to northeastern Nigeria.
According to the United Nations, Boko Haram’s armed campaign, which began in 2009, has so far killed 36,000 people and displaced nearly two million in northeastern Nigeria.
Boko Haram attack kills dozens of Chadian soldiers
EPA/STR
Soldiers from 21 Brigade and Army Engineers clearing Islamic militant group Boko Haram camps at Chuogori and Shantumari in Borno State, Nigeria, 30 July 2015. A string of attacks have resulted in over 430 fatalities by Islamic militant group Boko Haram in July alone. The Nigerian military continues its operations in the North East of Nigeria to try to flush out the terrorist organisation.
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