The Nigerien army mourned by a new attack. Twenty-three soldiers were killed in “an ambush” set up by “terrorists” during a “combing operation” by the armed forces in western Niger, the Nigerien Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday March 21.
The attack took place in the Tillabéri region, located in the so-called “three borders” zone between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and known to be a hideout of Sahelian jihadists.
The army carried out a "combing operation" there from Tuesday to Wednesday but "during their disengagement", a unit was caught in "a complex ambush" during which 23 soldiers were killed and "around thirty terrorists neutralized,” according to the ministry.
“Homemade bombs and kamikaze vehicles”
The operation had the "objective of reassuring populations victims of the abuses of armed terrorist groups: assassinations, extortion of funds, cattle thefts...", he adds.
“More than a hundred terrorists on board vehicles and motorcycles” attacked an army unit between the towns of Teguey and Bankilaré using “homemade bombs and kamikaze vehicles,” the statement said.
“Despite the energetic response, we deplore 23 brave soldiers who fell on the field of honor and 17 wounded,” he added.
The Tillabéri region is a hideout for Sahelian jihadists, including those of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) and Al-Qaeda. For years, this part of Niger has been regularly targeted by attacks by these armed groups despite the massive deployment of anti-jihadist forces.
05:55
©France 24
With AFP
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