Nigerien authorities deny any blunders in response to terrorist attack

The town of Tamou located on the border with Burkina Faso.

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Nigerien army aircraft destroyed jihadist refuges at a clandestine gold panning site near Tamou, on the border with Burkina Faso.

The army claims to have killed seven jihadists there.

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With our correspondent in Niamey,

The jihadists were dislodged from a forest by two national army helicopters during a land and air search in the W animal park. These operations followed the attack on the Tamou police station where two police officers found death.

Chased by air and by land, according to a security source, the terrorists headed for a very active clandestine gold panning site.

According to the press release from the Ministry of National Defence, the enemy clearly characterized by aerial reconnaissance had been spotted transporting equipment taken during the attack on the Tamou police station to hangars.

The order was then given immediately to the aircraft to destroy the enemy and their refuge hangar.

The official toll is seven killed and 24 injured, admitted to hospitals in the prefecture of Say and Niamey.

An investigation to establish the links of the wounded with the terrorists

Asked whether all these victims are jihadists, a source at the Ministry of Defense specifies: “

”.

These airstrikes have been widely commented on social networks.

At National Defense, Minister Alkassoum Indattou congratulates and encourages his men in the field.

According to several observers, the gold site located on the right bank of the Niger River and bordering Burkina Faso very often serves as a refuge for terrorists.

► To read also: In Niger, at least 11 civilians killed in jihadist ambushes near the Malian border

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• Niger

• Defense

• Terrorism