Six Chadian soldiers were killed by Boko Haram militants in a group of islets on the Chad-Nigeria border in the Lake Chad region. The six were part of a patrol unit that was on duty as a pre-emptive effort against the increased attacks against both the civilian and military populations in recent weeks. The attack also left at least 12 other soldiers seriously injured and another dozen terrorists killed.
Since the splinter of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the former has established bases on islets dotting Lake Chad, a vast swampy expanse in the border region bestridden by Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
The Lake Chad region continues to be a hotbed of ISIS aligned terror organization as ISWAP which has been seeking dominance over Boko Haram has also been scrambling to establish camps and operations in the region. With at least 36,000 people having been killed and around three million displaced in the decade-long Islamist conflict, the countries have since established a joint coalition that is set geared at dismantling the network.
ISIS affiliates in Africa continue amerce territory and wreak havoc and continue to expand despite active COIN efforts in the region with Lake Chad region, Sinai Peninsula, Mali-Burkina Faso, North Kivu, and Cabo Delgado in Mozambique among the areas with a growing presence and violence triggered by ISIS-Central’s call for Jihad.
