Chadian troops on Tuesday defeated insurgent group Boko Haram and took back the town of Dikwa from their grasp...
The major battle had a large number of casualties, with sources saying that hundreds of terrorists were killed.
Chad had provided 2,500 troops as part of the four country Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to destroy the dangerous sect.
The Chadian army has been praised as the most efficient in the coalition after it took back the towns of Malam Fatori and Gamboru from the terrorists, and in another incursion into Nigerian territory they secured a major victory yesterday.
Dikwa is 50km south of the border and is a historic town and also the former capital of the Kanem Bornu Empire.
The insurgents used Dikwa as a military base to launch attacks across the area.
One local resident named Bababura Diwa said: “Chadian soldiers took over Dikwa from Boko Haram after heavy fighting on Tuesday. When they came into Dikwa there was intense fighting but at last they subdued the Boko Haram fighters.
“They killed many of them, including Abu Ashshe, their commander who was notorious for seizing cattle in the area. I used the opportunity provided by the presence of the Chadian troops to leave the town as I was afraid to leave when Boko Haram took over the town for fear of being branded a traitor and killed.”
He revealed that the Chadian army launched their attack from Gamboru, which they had earlier re-captured through the use of heavy artillery.
Jidda Saleh who resides in Dikwa said that the Chadian soldiers had attacked the town with the help of heavy aerial and ground attacks on the Kala-Balge area, particularly Nduwu village, which he said was a major Boko Haram stronghold.
Saleh said: “The whole village was bombarded and it is obvious Boko Haram suffered heavy casualties from the aerial attack. Ground troops moved in later.”
Saleh revealed that Meleri, which used to be a huge Boko Haram concentration camp, was also bombed by the Chadian jets and then taken over by the ground troops.
“They have kept thousands of livestock there and have sunk boreholes and recruited people to rear the animals for them,” Saleh said.
Another resident from the area, Algoni Wal-Amire, revealed how horrible it was living under the terrorists’ reign.
“Living under Boko Haram was like living in a minefield. You are always afraid your next step could be your last, so I thank God I’m now safe from them,” he added.
The Nigerian army had earlier recaptured Mungonu just two weeks after the town was seized by the terrorists
The Nigerian army had no official comment on the Chadian advance, but Chadian state television made note of it Wednesday evening, saying there had been heavy losses on the Boko Haram side in the fight for Dikwa, and that two Chadian soldiers had been killed.
A Nigerian military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the advance into the town. The Chadian push has become a sensitive point for the Nigerian military.
While the Chadian army is free of any Boko Haram infiltration, it is said that Boko Haram has a lot of sympathisers in the Nigerian army.
The task force is made up of Chad, Cameroon, Niger Republic and Nigeria. It is being deployed in Nigeria to take on the terrorists.
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