The defense ministry announced on Monday night that an assault carried out by suspected jihadists in western Niger resulted in the tragic loss of twenty-nine soldiers. This devastating incident prompted a declaration of a three-day national mourning period.
The assailants employed improvised explosive devices and kamikaze vehicles, with over a hundred terrorists involved, as reported by the ministry in a televised statement.
Alongside the soldiers’ casualties, two soldiers sustained serious injuries, and a significant number of terrorists were eliminated. This attack unfolded near Niger’s border with Mali during military operations aimed at neutralizing the Islamic State threat in the region, as per the ministry’s statement.
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.
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For over a decade, the Sahel region of Africa has been plagued by a jihadist insurgency that initially emerged in northern Mali in 2012 and subsequently spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
The area known as the “three borders,” situated between Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, experiences frequent militant attacks linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
This ongoing violence has contributed to military takeovers in all three countries, with Niger being the most recent to experience a coup on July 26, resulting in the removal of Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president.
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In August, suspected jihadists launched an attack near the Niger-Burkina Faso border, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 17 Nigerien soldiers and the injury of 20 others.
