At least 15 Chadian soldiers were killed in a clash with Boko Haram on Saturday, according to the military.

Army spokesperson General Issakh Acheikh made the announcement on Sunday saying, “15 soldiers [were] killed in action and 32 wounded.”

Acheikh also reported that the operation resulted in 96 Boko Haram casualties, with 11 militants wounded, and the seizure of weapons and equipment.

He reassured the civilian population that the situation was under control and the operation to “track down residual elements” was ongoing.

Military sources told the AFP news agency that the fighting took place on the Karia Island, in the northwest of the Lake Chad region.

Among the military casualties were “numerous high-ranking officers.”

Militants hideouts in Lake Chad region targeted

President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno expressed his condolences in a post on Facebook to the families of “the martyrs who fell defending the homeland.”

Chad’s military is engaged in Operation Haskanite aiming to dislodge Boko Haram jihadists from Lake Chad.

The region, a vast expanse of water and swamps, serves as a hideout for jihadist groups, such as Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP).

Recently, Chad’s army has intensified operations against these groups following a deadly attack on a military base that killed 40 soldiers in late October.

Chad is a key ally for French and US forces combating a 12-year insurgency in West Africa’s Sahel region.