Members of the Boko Haram terrorists organization on Sunday, launched vicious attack on the Chadian army, killing around 40 people near the Nigerian border.
The Chadian presidency in a statement while confirming the unfortunate development, said that the terrorists struck near Ngouboua in the west of the country, “tragically leaving about 40 people dead”.
President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno visited the scene on Monday, a garrison housing more than 200 soldiers and launched an operation “to go after the attackers and track them down in their furthest hideouts”, the statement added.
The attack reportedly occurred at 10pm local time, when Boko Haram members took control of the garrison, seized weapons, burnt vehicles equipped with heavy arms, and retreated.
The garrison’s unit commander according to AFP, was among the dead, a high-ranking officer said on condition of anonymity.
Around 20 people were also wounded, military sources also revealed.
“Boko Haram members took control of the garrison, seized the weapons, burnt vehicles equipped with heavy arms, and left,” said one local source, who asked not to be named.
“The surprise attack struck a Chadian army position near the Nigerian border late on Sunday evening, military sources said.
”We have many casualties, yes, but the situation is under control and our forces are on the ground pursuing the enemy,” the regional governor, General Saleh Haggar Tidjani, told AFP.
Moreover, in a vast expanse of water and swamps, the Lake Chad region’s countless islets serve as hideouts for jihadist groups, such as Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), who make regular attacks on the country’s army and civilians.