'200 Boko Haram fighters killed' as military reclaim Nigerian town of Damasak

Troops from Chad and Niger retook the northeastern Nigerian town of Damasak on Monday as part of regional efforts to combat the Islamists who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants. Boko Haram had held the town near the Niger border since November, part of a swathe of territory it had taken over in Nigeria’s northeast, where the group’s six-year insurgency has been based. According to a source, around 200 Boko Haram fighters were left dead in the offensive that began Sunday, while 10 Chadian soldiers were killed and 20 wounded.

The offensive has allowed for control to be taken of Damasak.

A Chadian military source

A hospital source in Niger’s Diffa, across the border from Damasak, spoke of 33 soldiers wounded, without providing their nationalities. A Niger official in Diffa also said Damasak had been retaken after heavy fighting. The offensive, which followed a sustained build-up of troops in southern Niger, opened up a new front in regional efforts to wipe out the Islamist group, whose six-year insurgency has spread across borders. It also came after Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria in an audio message at the weekend.

Damasak Africa