Boko Haram raid kills 23 soldiers in attack on Chadian Lake Chad base

ALBAWABA- Militants from Boko Haram killed at least 23 Chadian soldiers and wounded 26 others in a late-night assault on a military base in the Lake Chad region, authorities said on Tuesday.

The attack targeted the Barka Tolorom island base on Monday evening. According to army spokesman Issakha Acheikh Chanane, government forces engaged the attackers in intense fighting and ultimately repelled the assault, killing a “significant number” of militants.

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno condemned the attack as “cowardly” during a visit to wounded soldiers, reaffirming the government’s determination to eliminate insurgent threats.

The assault marks a renewed escalation in violence across the Lake Chad Basin, a long-standing hotspot for militant activity. The area’s difficult terrain, particularly its network of marshes and islands, has provided armed groups with strategic cover, complicating military operations.

The latest raid follows a pattern of increasingly bold attacks on military positions, including a major assault in late 2024 that killed dozens of soldiers. Despite ongoing regional and international counterinsurgency efforts, militants continue to exploit geographic and security gaps.

Chad's army says 23 personnel killed in Boko Haram attack https://t.co/Lmpmxo5MOE https://t.co/Lmpmxo5MOE

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Boko Haram, formally known as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, has waged an insurgency since 2009, primarily originating in northeastern Nigeria before spreading across borders. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than two million across the wider Sahel region.

Although weakened by internal divisions and rivalry with the Islamic State West Africa Province, Boko Haram remains a persistent threat, relying on guerrilla tactics and cross-border mobility to sustain its operations.