Nigerian and Chadian Troops Launch Separate Take- Down Strikes Over Weekend
By Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat
(Maiduguri) Tempo of combat on Lake Chad has gone up since Saturday as both Nigerian and Chadian militaries made lethal ground- and airstrikes against ISIS-allied insurgents. The target was Boko Haram (“Western learning forbidden”), which has sought to unseat the elected Nigerian government since 2009.
(See related story on this site about what the flurry of attacks portends.)
Military experts say that if insurgents fatally weaken Nigerian security forces, an expanding Islamist Caliphate could threaten to spill into all states of the Sahel.
The Nigerian troops killed dozens of insurgents in an operation on Nov. 23, a military spokesperson said on November 24, 2024.
According to Air Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa, the Nigerian Air Force’s (NAF) spokesman, a successful operation was conducted on November 23, following detailed Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
“This strategic location, identified through meticulous intelligence efforts, served as a critical food storage site and a sanctuary for terrorist commanders and fighters,” Akinboyewa said in a press release.
He further noted that intelligence linked the site to recent attacks, including a November 16 assault on troops in Kareto. Akinboyewa explained that the strikes disrupted the terrorists’ logistical operations and reduced their ability to stage future attacks.
Similarly, between November 4-10, 2024, Chad’s military launched a series of counter strikes against Boko Haram camps in the Chad Basin. The operation, led personally by President Mahamat Déby, resulted in the killing of many Boko Haram terrorists.
The islands targeted during the operation include those in the Lake Chad area around the border with Nigeria.
“We carried out several air strikes on enemy positions that resulted in many dead and wounded,” according to Deby, who briefed reporters in the Lake Chad region without giving specific numbers.
Deby, who gave an interview in full military fatigues, said he had “personally” launched the counter-attack against Boko Haram, which previously targeted the Chadian army in an attack last month in the Chad’s western region, close to the border with Nigeria.
Military Captures Propaganda Video
A video posted by Chadian military officer Mahamat M Bechir on his X handle documented a botched effort by insurgents to storm Nigerian military positions in the Lake Chad Basin.
The video was posted on November 19, 2024.
The 1-minute-48-second footage, made by the terrorists themselves, shows militants paddling seven canoes frantically towards the eastern shore of Lake Chad in an attempt to storm a Nigerian military position.
In the middle of Nigerian gunfire, the terrorists chant “Allahu Akbar” (“God is the greatest”) as they advance.
A terrorist is heard saying: “Search the grasses for survivors (soldiers).” Another militant urges his comrades to “let’s advance, let’s advance, we should fear God, we are here for war.” The insurgents continuously chant “Allahu Akbar” while another militant instructs those on the ground to “Ambush them, Ambush them!”
A militant shouts: “Brothers, fear God and come down from the canoe.” Another chants, “If you fear God, do not fire shots, let’s go down and search for them (soldiers).”
The language in the video is Kanuri, specifically Kanumbu and Buduma dialects spoken in Niger Republic and Chad Republic.
Unknown to the terrorists, they were canoeing into a trap set by the military. The video, intended by Boko Haramists for their own propaganda, instead captures the terrorists’ final moments before they were killed.
Strikes Not Coordinated, Video For Propaganda – Analyst
Analysts are raising concerns that Boko Haram attacks on the Chad Basin is on the rise due to lack of proper coordination between the joint armed forces of the Lake Chad Basin.
International Security Analyst Scott Morgan told TruthNigeria that while significant progress has been made, more needs to be done to accurately assess the number of casualties suffered by all the insurgent forces.
“Though a lot has been achieved, more still needs to be done in knowing the number of casualties,” Morgan said.
Morgan emphasized the importance of following up airstrikes against Boko Haram and other jihadists with ground-troop operations. “These airstrikes against Boko Haram and other jihadists need to be followed up by mopping up operations by ground troops,” he noted.
“The airstrikes presently witnessed should have started long ago,” Morgan went on to say.
Regarding the videos made by Boko Haram, Morgan described them as propaganda tools, highlighting how the group and its affiliates use such videos to recruit new members, particularly in Nigeria.
“That video is for propaganda purposes. We have seen how Boko Haram and its affiliates use such videos to glorify their terrorist acts and use them to recruit more members, especially in Nigeria,” Morgan said.
Morgan also disputed Boko Haram’s claims of gaining ground, stating that these claims are untrue.
“Recently, Boko Haram has been posting on social media that it’s gaining grounds, which isn’t really true,” he said.
David Onyilokwu Idah, a Director with the United Nations Human Rights Commission, recently expressed concerns about the resurgence of Boko Haram activities in the Lake Chad region. He noted that the Nigerian, Chadian, and Nigerien militaries used to conduct cross-border attacks against Boko Haram under the Multinational Joint Taskforce, which led to a significant reduction in the group’s activities.
However, Idah observed that these joint efforts are no longer happening, and he suggested that Nigeria, Niger Republic, Chad, and Cameroon should launch large-scale coordinated attacks, similar to those of the D-day landings, against Boko Haram and ISWAP. He called mass for the countries of the Lake Chad basin to about 50,000 soldiers and launch coordinated air and ground assaults from different sides.
Chad President Calls For Cooperation Between Countries
Chadian President Déby is seeking to intensify the fight against Boko Haram by launching cross-border attacks. According to Passale Kanabe Marcellin, Chad’s water and sanitation minister, President Déby wants neighboring countries to allow Chadian troops to pursue Boko Haram militants across borders into Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger.
Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat are conflict reporters for Truthnigeria
