The president of Chadian Republic, Idriss Déby Itno, officially reported the incident on Tuesday, March 24th [Steve Jordan/AFP via Getty Images].
The Raid is the Latest Sign of the Jihadists’ Growing Power in Chad’s Border Area
Ninety-two Chadian soldiers have been killed in the deadliest attack ever by Boko Haram jihadists on armed forces in the country, President Idriss Déby Itno said on Tuesday.
The attack is part of an expanding jihadist campaign in the vast, marshy Lake Chad area, where the borders of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria converge.
Boko Haram launched an insurgency in Nigeria in 2009 before beginning incursions in its neighbouring countries to the east.
“We lost 92 of our soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers,” in the attack overnight on Sunday in Boma, the president said.
“It’s the first time we have lost so many men,” he added, after visiting the site of the attack in the Lac province, which borders Niger and Nigeria.
The attack on soldiers on the Boma peninsula lasted at least seven hours, and reinforcements sent to help out were also targeted, one soldier told AFP.
He said 24 army vehicles were destroyed, including armoured vehicles, and captured military arms were carried off in speedboats by Boko Haram.“The enemy has hit at our defences hard in this zone,” a senior officer said.
Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks in recent months on the islands of the Lake Chad basin.
