DAMASAK, Nigeria
Chadian army troops have discovered a mass grave in Nigeria's northeastern town of Damasak, a senior Chadian army source said Saturday.
The mass grave was littered with at least 100 decomposed bodies whose features could not be identified, Abdramane Djimi, the commander of Chadian troops in the area, told The Anadolu Agency.
"The bodies bore signs of gunshot and machete wounds," Djimi said.
The Chadian commander said that preliminary examination showed that the bodies had been dumped in the grave several weeks ago.
"The bodies are everywhere, and search operations are still underway," he said.
He went to say that "Boko Haram has not spared anyone in the area."
Stricken by fear and trauma, survivors of the attack – mostly old people and children – have fled to the outskirts of the town near an encampment of Chadian-Nigerien troops.
Mbodou Mallah, an elderly survivor, has lost his wife and four children while fleeing the town.
"I have no idea whether they are still alive or dead," he told AA.
On March 7, Boko Haram swore allegiance to Daesh.
Two days later, a ground and aerial offensive carried out by joint Chadian-Nigerien forces drove out Boko Haram militants from the area where the mass grave was found.
Nigeria has been facing a six-year Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
