Turkey slams 'heinous' terror attacks in Nigeria, Chad

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Wednesday condemned Monday’s "heinous" terror attacks in Nigeria and Chad, which claimed lives of many soldiers and left several others injured.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the country is "saddened" by the deadly terrorist attacks that took place in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state, as well as targeted the Chadian military forces around the Lake Chad basin.

The ministry wished Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives and speedy recovery to the wounded.

It also offered condolences to the peoples and governments of Nigeria and Chad.

Early Wednesday, Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno said at least 92 soldiers were killed and 47 others wounded in an attack by members of the Boko Haram terrorist group on an army base.

In Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack on the country’s soldiers in Borno state.

Boko Haram launched a bloody insurgency in 2009 in northeastern Nigeria but later spread its atrocities to neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, which prompted a military response.

More than 30,000 people have been killed and nearly 3 million displaced in a decade of Boko Haram terrorist activities in Nigeria, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.