The militant group Boko Haram has seized the town of Baga, Nigeria, and its army base.
The residents of Baga along with the troops abandoned the base and town Saturday after Boko Haram carried out an attack, the BBC reported.
Many people fled by boat to Chad, a neighbor of Nigeria, but many people died and the town set on fire.
According to The Daily Post in Nigeria, Boko Haram fighters invaded the town with 10 Hilux vehicles Saturday and attacked the base, seizing control.
A senior security official said the attack broke out around 5 a.m. local time Saturday and a gun battle ensued lasting for hours before the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) soldiers abandoned the base.
A senator in the Borno state of Nigeria said the troops from the MNJTF abandoned the base in Baga, the BBC said.
Baga had remained the last town under government control in the Borno North area. The base consisted of troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger.
The Daily Post in Nigeria said the MNJTF was created by defense and military chiefs to from six countries in the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
They created the base to combat arms trafficking, terrorism and other related cross-border attacks that have been on the rise in the region.
Boko Haram viewed the MNJTF as a threat to its operations and thus, set out to control it.
According to the BBC, Boko Haram formed in 2002 with the intent of opposing western education. In 2009 it began fighting to create an Islamic state, taking thousands of lives in the process. The U.S. declared them a terrorist group in 2013.
