Boko Haram Fighters Kills 23 Chadian Soldiers

A screengrab taken on November 9, 2014 from a new Boko Haram video released by the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram and obtained by AFP shows Boko Haram fighters parading on a tank in an unidentified town. The leader of the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, dismissed again government claims about ceasefire talks and threatened to kill the man who has presented himself as Boko HaramТs negotiator. AFP PHOTO / HO / BOKO HARAM = RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / BOKO HARAM" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS =

By: Babagana Bukar Wakil

Boko Haram fighters have killed 23 Chadian soldiers, according to military sources, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack inside Chad by the armed group.

The assault in the early hours of Friday took place in the town of Dangdala, near the banks of Lake Chad, two security sources told the Reuters.

The attackers were believed to have crossed the border from neighboring Niger before launching the attack.

Chadian soldiers are part of the G5 Sahel Force, a US-trained West African task force deployed to counter Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, in southeastern Niger, eight civilians were killed on Thursday in a Boko Haram attack in Karidi, in the Gueskerou district, a local official told the AFP Friday.

Gueskerou lies in the Diffa region, which borders with Lake Chad, and is one of the worst-hit areas for attacks in Niger.

A total of 16 troops were killed in attacks on February 16 and March 9, while Niger’s armed forces said it had killed 33 “terrorists” on March 12.