Chad sends troops to Nigeria to help stem Boko haram

The Chadian soldiers had amassed along the border with Cameroon before entering Nigeria

Chadian troops have entered Nigeria to join the battle against militant Islamist group Boko Haram. Armoured vehicles and infantry crossed a bridge from Cameroon following air strikes and mortar attacks on Boko Haram positions, officials say. 

 

Fighting focused on the key north-eastern town of Gamboru, Nigerian security spokesman Mike Omeri said. Chad's deepening involvement shows how the conflict with Boko Haram is taking a regional dimension. Last week, Chadian troops reportedly moved into Malumfatori, a Nigerian town which lies near the borders of Chad and Niger, after a ground and air assault against the militants.



Chadian forces have also massed near the town of Diffa in Niger, Reuters news agency quotes military sources in Niger as saying.

Chad has carried out air strikes from Cameroon

The militants destroyed Gamboru's market during an assault last year

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has threatened to create a caliphate, incorporating parts of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The African Union has responded by backing plans to establish a 7,500-strong regional force to fight the group.
The Chadian contingent of about 2,000 troops crossed the frontier without a shot being fired, AFP news agency reports from the scene.
Chad warplanes had earlier carried out air strikes for about an hour.