Some 2,000 troops from regional military powerhouse Chad headed to neighbouring Niger on Wednesday, where Boko Haram insurgents inflicted heavy losses in the town of Bosso last week, a military source said.
Chad is a leading member of a multi-national force fighting the Nigeria-based Islamists who have extended their attacks to neighbouring countries from their base in northern Nigeria.
The “heavily armed” soldiers will “search everywhere for Boko Haram,” added the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The attacks began Friday against a military post in Bosso in Niger’s Diffa region, killing 26 soldiers including two from neighbouring Nigeria.
A total of 55 insurgents from the Nigeria-based Islamist group were killed and “many” injured, according to Niger authorities.
“An estimated 50,000 people or so fled,” UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters on Tuesday.
Last year, Chad dispatched soldiers to Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to fight Boko Haram. The regional multi-national force includes the four countries.
