Female suicide bomber kills six in Chad: army officer

Boko Haram launched an insurgency in Nigeria a decade ago that has spilt into neighbouring countries

A vehicle allegedly belonging to the Islamic State group in West Africa (ISWAP) is seen in Baga , Nigeria on August 2, 2019. AFP

A female suicide bomber killed six people after blowing herself up in western Chad early on Wednesday, a senior army officer said, in an attack attributed to Nigeria's Boko Haram militants.

The dead in the attack in Kaiga-Kindjiria district included a soldier, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A number of people were also injured, the officer said.

A local NGO confirmed the account.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Kaiga-Kindjiria lies in Lac province, which abuts the vast Lake Chad — a region shared by Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.

Boko Haram launched an insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria a decade ago that has since spilt over into neighbouring countries.

It has carried out at least 10 cross-border attacks in Chad since last year, mainly targeting army positions.

In March, 23 troops were killed when their forward position on the north-eastern side of the lake came under attack.

In June, 11 soldiers were killed and six were wounded in clashes at Tchoukoutalia, authorities said 26 jihadists were killed.

Boko Haram's campaign has left about 27,000 people dead and displaced about two million in Nigeria alone, some estimates say.

In 2015, the four Lake Chad countries, together with Benin, set up a combined force to fight Boko Haram with the help of local groups of armed citizens.