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2000 Chadian Soldiers Plus French Troops In Nigeria To Combat Boko Haram

Published

10 years ago

February 3, 2015

As Nigerian military is still battling to contain insurgency, over 2000 gallant soldiers from Chad have entered the country to help combat Boko Haram terrorists.
Today, Chad officially sent troops into Nigeria to combat the bloody insurgents waging war against harmless civilians in Northern Nigeria.
For almost an hour, Chadian warplanes struck Boko Haram positions, then armoured vehicles rolled across the bridge linking Fotokol town in Cameroon with Gamboru in Nigeria, clearing the way for the infantry.
“Our troops entered Nigeria this morning. The combat is ongoing,” one of the sources at Chad’s army headquarters told reporters.
The entire Chadian contingent of about 2,000 troops had crossed the frontier by midday without a shot being fired, an AFP correspondent saw.
Chad’s President Idriss Deby Itno sent soldiers to Cameroon in mid-January to help take on Boko Haram, whose raids, massacres and abductions are estimated to have claimed 13,000 lives since the movement emerged in northern Nigeria in 2009.
Meanwhile, French military aircraft are carrying out surveillance missions to help countries bordering Nigeria tackle Boko Haram militants amid efforts by the countries in the region to coordinate a response to the threat posed by the insurgents.
Although, a recent comment by the President of France suggests French aircraft were currently operating over Nigeria.
The soldiers are currently awaiting authorization from the Nigerian military to carry out ground raids via Cameroon.