Chadian troops cross border and recapture malam fatori from boko haram

CHADIAN soldiers have come to Nigeria's rescue by crossing the border and recapturing the town of Malam Fatori in Borno State from Boko Haram in the first sign that the regional military pact to fight the terrorists is working.

Following Boko Haram's recent military success of late, regional leaders from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have agreed to adopt a coordinated response to the threat. Unlike Nigeria, her neighbours have armies that are a lot more effective ion facing Boko Haram as their militaries have not been infiltrated and do not suffer from the same amount of corruption.

As a result of the numerous challenges corruption and betrayal have played in the conflict, Nigerian troops have also shown a reluctance to engage the terrorists and are known to abandon their weapons and flee whenever Boko Haram attack. In November last year, Boko Haram seized the town of Malam Fatori, sending government soldiers stationed there fleeing across the nearby border into Niger.

However, yesterday, Chadian troops recaptured the town from Boko Haram, reaffirming their reputation as some of Africa's finest and bravest soldiers. When Islamic terrorists seized large swathes of territory in Mali last year, it was Chadian troops who also helped dislodge them and were widely praised for the bravery and courage.

A military source in Diffa in Niger Republic, said: “This morning the Chadians retook Malam Fatori. There were clashes with Boko Haram that lasted over 24 hours and there were combat aircraft but we don’t know their nationality.”

One other officer said Chadian troops began massing on the shores of Lake Chad last week before crossing into Nigeria on Wednesday to retake Malam Fatori. Nigeria’s defence headquarters said that Nigerian Air Force aircrafts had been involved in two days of air operations over the town though it did not confirm Malam Fatori had been retaken or directly acknowledge the presence of Chadian troops.

Yesterday, the African Union endorsed a West African plan to set up a regional task force of 7,500 troops to fight Islamist Boko Haram militants. Following this endorsement, the plan will now be presented to the United Nations for Security Council backing.