Chad’s military inflicted significant casualties on Boko Haram jihadists in recent air strikes, according to President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno on Thursday.
“We carried out several air strikes on enemy positions, resulting in many dead and wounded,” Deby stated during a visit to the Lake Chad region, though he did not specify numbers.
Deby, dressed in full military gear, mentioned that he had “personally” led the counter-attack against Boko Haram, which had targeted the Chadian army last month near the Nigerian border in western Chad.
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Following the attack, which left around 40 dead and many wounded at a military garrison, Chad’s government vowed to “obliterate” Boko Haram through its late-October operation.
“Our mission is not only to protect peaceful citizens but to completely dismantle Boko Haram’s ability to cause harm,” interim Prime Minister Abderahim Bireme Hamid told reporters last week.
The Lake Chad region, a network of water and swamps, provides hideouts for jihadist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), which frequently attack the military and civilians.
In response, Chad joined Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon in 2015 to form a multinational force of approximately 8,500 soldiers to combat the jihadists.
Since its insurgency began in Nigeria in 2009, Boko Haram has spread to neighboring countries, with violence claiming over 40,000 lives.
In March 2020, Chad suffered one of its greatest single-day losses in the area, losing around 100 troops during an attack on the Bohoma peninsula.
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