 |
| Soldiers of the Chadian army |
The Chadian army on Friday said it had killed at least 100 jihadist fighters in an operation against Boko Haram terrorists hiding on the islands of Lake Chad.
In a statement, Chadian army spokesperson Colonel Azem Bermendoa Agouna said "117 terrorists have been killed, two Chadian soldiers died and two others were wounded" in the operation which began two weeks ago.
The offensive had targeted the island villages of Blarigui, Choua, Koungya and Merikouta.
The Colonel added that "For two weeks, Boko Haram terrorists have been trying to infiltrate our islands on Lake Chad to carry out attacks on peaceful citizens. Our armed forces and security forces have launched a vast offensive to dig out and neutralize these terrorists on these islands,"
According to him, "Several boats have been destroyed and several weapons of different calibres have been recovered,"
"The sweep continues" he said, though the exact number of deaths on the side of the jihadists could yet not be verified, the army spokesperson assured that "the definitive toll will be released later."
Chad recently deployed about 1,000 soldiers to the area of Lake Chad "to occupy all the islands and neutralize Boko Haram" and had previously urged local villagers to leave the region before the offensive began.
Boko Haram forces, are believed to retreat to the Lake Chad islands when under heavy attack in Nigeria by the regional coalition
Add your comments here.