Chadian ground troops on Tuesday crossed into Nigeria for the first time as part of an offensive against Boko Haram Islamists, an AFP correspondent saw.
Armoured vehicles and infantry crossed a bridge that links the Cameroonian town of Fotokol with Nigerian town of Gamboru, which has been taken back over the weekend from the jihadists who occupied it for several months, according to Nigerian national security spokesman Mike Omeri. Up till now, the Chad military had conducted air strikes against the militants.