Boko Haram Kills 23 Chadian Soldiers in Lake Chad Attack

At least 23 Chadian soldiers were killed and 26 others injured when Boko Haram militants attacked a military post on Barka Tolorom island in Chad's Lake Chad region late Monday, the country's armed forces announced Tuesday.

The Nigeria-based group, which has long targeted the area straddling Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, launched the assault on the island outpost. Chad's military stated that forces neutralized a significant number of attackers and repelled the assault. An administrative official in the region said the situation was under control.

President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno condemned the incident in a Facebook post Tuesday, describing it as a "cowardly attack" by Boko Haram on the base. "We will continue the fight with renewed determination until this threat is completely eradicated," he said, offering condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers.

The Lake Chad basin, rich in resources, serves as a haven for multiple armed groups, including Boko Haram and its rival splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province, known as ISWAP. These groups fund operations by imposing taxes on local communities amid the lake's islands and marshes.