Chad’s military recently killed and injured many Boko Haram terrorists through air strikes, as confirmed by President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno on Thursday.
In an interview conducted while dressed in full military attire, Deby revealed that he had ‘personally’ initiated the counter-offensive against Boko Haram terrorists, which had previously attacked the Chadian army in the western region near the Nigerian border last month.
Naturenex understands that the Chadian government had pledged to “eradicate” Boko Haram when it commenced its operations in late October, following a raid by the jihadists that resulted in approximately 40 deaths and many more injuries at a military garrison.
“We carried out several air strikes on enemy positions that resulted in many dead and wounded,” Deby told reporters in the Lake Chad region without giving specific numbers of terrorists killed.
The operation is designed not only to ensure the safety of our civilian population but also to actively pursue, eliminate, and dismantle the capabilities of Boko Haram and its affiliates to inflict harm, stated interim Prime Minister Abderahim Bireme Hamid during a press conference last week.
It is worth noting that the Lake Chad region, characterized by its extensive waters and swamps, contains numerous islets that serve as sanctuaries for jihadist factions, including Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), which frequently launch assaults against both military forces and civilians.
In response to this threat, Chad, along with its neighbouring countries Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, established a multinational force comprising approximately 8,500 troops in 2015 to combat the jihadist insurgency.
Boko Haram initiated its insurgency in Nigeria in 2009, resulting in over 40,000 fatalities, and the group has since expanded its activities into adjacent nations.
In March 2020, the Chadian military experienced its most significant single-day casualties in the region, with around 100 soldiers killed during an attack on the Bohoma peninsula of the lake.
