ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: Soldiers from the joint Nigerien and Chadian force finally entered the middle sized town of Damasak on Wednesday (March 18) after it was retaken by Boko Haram militants. It was deserted by the time they entered the centre of town, but signs of Boko Haram's occupation were still there to be seen, with flags, motorcycles displaying the insurgents' colours and the group's slogans written on the walls. More than 200 islamist insurgents died in a fierce fight in the bush outside the town to secure it, a Niger commander said. About 15 soldiers from Chad and Niger died in fighting to take control of two towns in northern Nigeria from Boko Haram, the first major gains against the militants in the joint offensive. About 30 Nigerien and Chadian soldiers were wounded in the fighting that took place in the bush, outside the towns of Malam Fatouri and Damasak last week. Damasak, the town furthest into Nigeria, is 10 km (6 miles) south of the Niger border, where Nigerien and Chadian troops had been gathering in recent weeks before the offensive. The joint offensive started on March 8, when thousands of troops crossed the border to seize areas held by the Sunni Islamist group, whose insurgency has forced Nigeria to delay an election and neighbours to mobilise their armies. Most people in Damasak had fled for fear of attacks, but soldiers are now calling for people to return to their homes. The joint force seized large quantities of arms and ammunition as well as vehicles, Chadian military said, and were undertaking a clean-up operation in the area.
Credit: Reuter
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