15 Chadian Soldiers Killed in Operation Against Boko Haram

The spokesperson for the Chadian army said that at least 15 soldiers were killed and 32 others were injured in clashes between the army and Boko Haram militants on Saturday, adding that 96 Boko Haram militants were also killed.

General Isaac Sheikh did not specify the location of the operation or provide any details about its circumstances on Sunday. He told national television that the army had also injured 11 Boko Haram members and seized weapons and equipment. “The army assures the population that the situation is under control, and measures to track down the remaining elements continue as part of Operation Haskanit,” he said, referring to the military campaign launched to expel Boko Haram militants from the Lake Chad area.

The region has faced repeated attacks from insurgent groups, including the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram, which began in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 and spread to western Chad. Around 40 soldiers were killed in an attack on a military base in the Lake Chad area at the end of last month, after which interim President Mahamat Idriss Déby threatened to withdraw the country from a multinational security force.

Chad is an important ally for French and U.S. forces seeking to help combat the insurgency in West Africa’s Sahel region for 12 years. In recent years, military councils that have seized power in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where their common borders have become insurgency hotspots, have distanced themselves from the West in favor of Russian support.