Three soldiers and 123 Boko Haram militants were killed when the group attacked a Chadian army contingent in northern Cameroon, Chad’s military said Friday. Twelve soldiers were also wounded in the attacks.
“The enemy was repelled by our defensive forces,” the general staff’s statement said, adding that the troops had “routed” the militants in the second attack. The soldiers were killed by improvised explosive devices, according to a televised military statement, AFP reported.
Chad sent a convoy of troops and military vehicles into neighboring Cameroon on January 17 to deal with the growing threat Boko Haram poses to the region. Boko Haram launched the attacks Thursday and Friday near the border town of Fotokol, the statement said.
Boko Haram frequently stages attacks on Fotokol from their base in the Nigerian town of Gamboru, which is just 500 meters away.
Chad has called on countries in the region to form a broad coalition in the fight against the group. The country has already deployed its army along the border as well as sending the additional contingent into Cameroon.
The African Union called Friday for a regional five-nation force of 7,500 troops to defeat the “horrendous” rise of Boko Haram.
