N’DjamenacTypeface:> Some 40 Chadian soldiers were killed in an attack by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, an official said on Monday.
The attack occurred during the night from Sunday to Monday on the island of Barkaram in Lake Chad, according to the deputy communications director of the Chadian presidency, Halimé Assadya Ali.
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno visited the region on Monday morning to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers, express his condolences to those who were wounded and boost soldier morale, Assadya Ali said.
He also ordered a military operation to track down the attackers.
Boko Haram, which was founded in Nigeria in West Africa, has been carrying out repeated attacks in the neighbouring Central African countries of Chad and Cameroon for years. (DPA)
