Molly Kilete, Abuja
Chad has withdrawn its troops totaling 1,200, fighting the counter-insurgency war alongside their Nigerian counterparts in the northeast.
A spokesman for the Chadian army Colonel Azem Bermandoa, told AFP in an interview, that Chad has ended a months-long mission fighting Boko Haram in neighbouring Nigeria and withdrawn its 1,200-strong force across the border.
Bermandoa said: “It’s our troops who went to aid Nigerian soldiers months ago returning home. They have finished their mission, None of our soldiers will remain in Nigeria.”
However, Chad’s general chief of staff General Tahir Erda Tahiro said that if countries in the region which have contributed to a multinational anti-jihadist force were in agreement, more troops will likely be sent in.
“If the states around Lake Chad agree on a new mission there will surely be another contingent redeployed on the ground,” Tahiro told AFP.
The Defence Headquarters is yet to react to the withdrawal of the Chadian soldiers.
Also, calls made to Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, to ascertain if the withdrawal would affect the ongoing counter-insurgency operations was not responded to at the time of filing this report.
The MNJTF is made of countries from the Lake Chad Basin region, who contributed troops to make the task force.
The headquarters of the MNJTF is in Njemena, Chad.