SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
29 Niger soldiers killed by suspected jihadists: defence ministry
Niamey, Niger, Oct 3 (AFP) Oct 03, 2023
Twenty-nine soldiers were killed in western Niger in an attack by suspected jihadists, the defence ministry said on Monday night, declaring a three-day national mourning period.

The soldiers were targeted using "improvised explosive devices and kamikaze vehicles by more than a hundred terrorists", the ministry said in a televised statement.

Two soldiers were seriously wounded and "several dozen terrorists" were also killed.

The attack took place near the country's border with Mali, during military operations aimed at "neutralising the threat posed by the Islamic State" in the area, according to the ministry.

"Communications from the terrorists, who were forced to withdraw, have been intercepted", the ministry said, adding that the attackers "benefitted from outside expertise", without giving any further details.

A jihadist insurgency has plagued Africa's Sahel region for more than a decade, breaking out in northern Mali in 2012 before spreading to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

The "three borders" area between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso is regularly the scene of attacks by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.

The violence has fuelled military takeovers in all three countries, with Niger the latest to fall to a coup on July 26 that ousted Mohamed Bazoum, its democratically elected president.

In August, at least 17 Nigerien soldiers were killed and 20 wounded in an attack by suspected jihadists near the border between Niger and Burkina Faso.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
UCF researchers developing new methods to passively mitigate lunar dust for space exploration
NASA Research Shows Path Toward Protocells on Titan
NASA to launch SNIFS, Sun's next trailblazing spectator

24/7 Energy News Coverage
AI helps automate nuclear reactor licensing process at INL
Battery sharing model boosts savings for local energy communities
Bifacial CuInSe2 solar cells achieve record efficiency on transparent substrates

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Kremlin cautions 'lots of work' ahead before Ukraine peace deal
Eutelsat strikes global satellite internet deal with UK govt
US promises Philippine president to ramp up deterrence on China

24/7 News Coverage
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
China starts construction of Tibet mega-dam
Brazil's Congress passes bill easing environmental licensing rules



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.