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Over a dozen Chadian soldiers killed in a Boko Haram attack: army

The Chadian army reported killing 96 insurgents in retaliation, as armed group activity intensifies in the region.

AP

In this photo made available by the Nigerian Military taken Tuesday, April 28, 2015, Nigerian military personnel in action during an attack on Islamic extremists in the Sambisa Forest, Nigeria. / Photo: AP

Boko Haram terror group killed 17 Chadian soldiers in a weekend attack on a military post that also left 96 of the assailants dead in the country's west, Chad's army has said.

The attack in the Lake Chad region happened on Saturday, army spokesperson Gen. Issakh Acheikh said on national television on Sunday night. He did not provide details.

The Lake Chad region has been plagued this year by frequent attacks from terrorist groups including Boko Haram and the ISWAP. It has revived fears of violence after a period of peace following a successful operation launched in 2020 by the Chadian army to destroy the radical groups' bases.

Last month, 40 soldiers were killed during an attack on a military base, prompting President Mahamat Deby Itno to launch an operation to dislodge Boko Haram from Lake Chad. In March, an attack the government blamed on Boko Haram killed seven soldiers.

Boko Haram, which launched an insurgency more than a decade ago against Western education, seeks to establish its own authority in Nigeria’s northeast. The insurgency has spread to West African neighbours including Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

Chad, a country of nearly 18 million people, has been reeling from political turmoil before and after a controversial presidential election that resulted in Deby Itno’s victory. He had led the country as interim president during the period of military rule that followed the death of his father in 2021.