Nigerian naval and army forces killed at least 34 suspected insurgents during two operations in the Lake Chad region, according to a naval statement reported by Premium Times Nigeria on November 1. The military cautioned that the death toll was still being checked.
Navy spokesperson Abiodun Folrunsho said 28 suspected Boko Haram members were killed on October 28. He reported six more deaths during an October 30 offensive against an insurgent enclave at Dumba. Operational assessments were continuing, he said.
The forces involved included marines based at Naval Base Lake Chad and soldiers from the army’s 403 Amphibious Brigade. The brigade operates under Operation Hadin Kai, the joint military task force in northeastern Nigeria. The spokesperson did not say whether the forces attacked from boats or on land.
Boko Haram and its rival, Islamic State West Africa Province, maintain positions on Lake Chad’s islands, Premium Times reported. The groups use the waterways to evade military raids and collect taxes from local fishermen, making naval and river patrols part of the regional campaign against them.