 In March 1987 , the main Libyan air base of Ouadi Doum was captured by Chadian forces . Although strongly defended by minefields , 5 @,@ 000 soldiers , tanks , armored vehicles , and aircraft , the Libyans ' base fell to a smaller Chadian attacking force led by Djamous equipped with trucks mounted with machine guns and antitank weapons . Observers estimated that , in the Chadian victories in the first three months of 1987 , more than 3 @,@ 000 Libyan soldiers had been killed , captured , or deserted . Large numbers of tanks , armored personnel carriers , artillery , fixed @-@ wing aircraft , and helicopters were captured or destroyed . In some cases , Libya sent its own aircraft to bomb abandoned Libyan equipment to deny its use to the Chadians . It was reported that , in many cases , Libyan soldiers had been killed while fleeing to avoid battle . At Ouadi Doum , panicked Libyans had suffered high casualties running through their own minefields . 
