More than two dozen soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack in Chad

At least 26 soldiers were killed in an attack by the Boko Haram terrorist group in Chad in central Africa on Thursday night, a military spokesman said.

Fourteen others were injured in the attack in the Lake Chad region, according to Azem Bermandoa Agouna. He said dozens of the attackers were killed but did not give concrete figures.

The Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram is active in north-eastern Nigeria and has also launched attacks in Chad. Boko Haram insurgents have terrorised Nigeria's Borno State for years with suicide bombings and attacks with heavy firearms.

The Nigerian military has been battling Boko Haram for more than a decade with little success.

An interim military council has ruled in Chad since the sudden death of long-term ruler Idriss Deby Itno in April. His son Mahamat is president of the military council.

For former colonial powers France and Europe, the oil-rich but poverty-stricken Chad is a militarily important partner in the Sahel region, which is threatened by numerous armed groups. (dpa)