Battle of Damasak
Battle of Damasak took place on 18 March 2015 when Nigerien and Chadian armies attacked Boko Haram in Nigerian town of Damasak. Boko Haram was pushed out of the town after less than a day of heavy fighting.[1] Damasak was captured 24 November 2014 by Boko Haram and it has been in their control until this battle. By the time the town was recaptured it was largely deserted of civilians,[2] civilians who remained were too old or too sick to leave.[3] After the battle Chadian soldiers set up camps outside of the town, and two Chadian helicopters arrived with supplies.[4]
Battle of Damasak | |||||||||
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Part of the Boko Haram insurgency | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
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Strength | |||||||||
~ 2000 soldiers | Unknown | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
1 Nigerien soldier killed | 228 killed |
On 20 March, two days after the battle, Nigerien and Chadian soldiers discovered a mass grave of over 90 people under the bridge at the outskirts of the city.[5][6] Civilian bodies were partially mummified by desert air, which suggested that the massacre took place some time ago.[7]
References
- "Soldiers drive terrorists out of Damasak in Borno [PHOTOS]". Pulse Nigeria. 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
- "Boko Haram 'driven out' of northeastern Nigerian town". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
- "'Mass grave' discovered in Nigerian town recaptured from Boko Haram". France 24. 2015-03-21. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
- "Troops from Chad, Niger retake Nigerian town from Boko Haram | The Seattle Times". web.archive.org. 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
- Aminu Abubakar and Melissa Gray. "Mass grave found in former Boko Haram-held town". CNN. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
- "Mass grave found in recaptured Nigerian town". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
- "Soldiers from Niger and Chad discover at least 70 victims of Boko Haram". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-01-14.