Niger and Chad, yesterday, launched major ground and air strikes in the North-East against Boko Haram, after the militants formally pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
The attacks, which followed a sustained build-up of troops in southern Niger, have opened up a new front in regional efforts to wipe out the Islamist group, whose six-year insurgency has spread across borders.
The Nigerian troops also, weekend, recaptured Buni Yadi town, the headquarters of Gujba Local Government Area and Buni Gari town both in Yobe State from the terrorists.