At least 16 killed in raids on Lake Chad villages

At least 13 suspected Boko Haram militants and three civilians were killed in separate attacks over the weekend after the insurgents raided several remote localities around Lake Chad,Chadian security sources said on Monday.

The insurgents are also suspected of kidnapping some 30 people in Katikine village, near the lake.

The hostages were taken onboard four speedboats to an unknown destination, one of the security source said, asking not to be named.

Boko Haram, which calls itself the Islamic State'sWest Africa Province (ISWAP) since pledging allegiance to the militant group that controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, is fighting to establish an emirate in northeast Nigeria.

The group has stepped up attacks in countries around the lake in recent months in response to a regional offensive by Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger to subdue the six-year-old insurgency.

"Medi was attacked by men on motorised boats," the security source said. "The army returned fire and killed 13 assailants. Some soldiers were wounded."

"The same day, three people in Blarigi village had their throats slit by suspected Boko Haram fighters," he said, adding that some 2,000 inhabitants of Fitine island on the lake were forced to flee following attacks which razed the village.