Boko Haram attack in Western Chad leaves 17 soldiers dead, 96 insurgents killed

Seventeen Chadian soldiers were killed in an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on a military post in western Chad over the weekend, the Chadian army has confirmed.

The assault also resulted in the deaths of 96 of the attackers, Caliber.Az reports referring to the Associated Press (AP).

The attack occurred on November 9 in the Lake Chad region, with the army’s spokesperson, General Issakh Acheikh, announcing the casualties in a televised statement on November 10 evening. However, further details were not provided.

This region has faced a spate of insurgent attacks this year, including assaults by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa. The renewed violence has sparked concerns after a period of relative peace, which followed a successful military operation by Chad’s army in 2020 aimed at dismantling the extremists' strongholds.

In September, 40 Chadian soldiers were killed in a similar attack on a military base, prompting President Mahamat Déby Itno to initiate a new operation to expel Boko Haram militants from the Lake Chad area. Earlier in March, seven soldiers were killed in an attack attributed to Boko Haram.

Notably, Boko Haram, also known as the "Nigerian Taliban," is a violent extremist group based in Nigeria. Founded in the late 1990s, its primary goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government and establish an Islamic state. The group's name, "Boko Haram," translates to "Western education is forbidden," reflecting its rejection of Western influences.

Boko Haram gained global notoriety under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, who took over in 2010 after the death of the group's previous leader. Shekau's tenure marked an escalation in violence, including the use of suicide bombings, vehicle-borne explosives, and attacks targeting both Nigerian and Western interests. The group's first major attack on Western targets occurred in August 2011 with a bomb attack on the UN headquarters in Abuja, killing at least 23 people.

The group’s capabilities grew in 2014, with frequent assaults on security forces, politicians, and civilians. Boko Haram’s international profile rose after it pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2015, rebranding itself as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Despite a regional counterterrorism offensive in 2015 that displaced Boko Haram from many of its strongholds, the group remains a persistent threat, particularly in Nigeria and neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

The 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Borno State gained widespread international condemnation, further highlighting the group’s brutality. In response, the United States designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in November 2013.

Today, Boko Haram continues to pose a significant threat to regional stability, with ongoing attacks and kidnappings that underscore its resilience despite military setbacks.

By Aghakazim Guliyev