Niger Attack Kills Nine Soldiers Near Mali Border: Security Source
Nine Nigerien soldiers were killed on Thursday in an attack on an army post close to the Mali frontier, a security source said, in the Tillaberi region that has been frequently targeted by jihadists.
Niamey, Mar 12 (AFP) Nine Nigerien soldiers were killed on Thursday in an attack on an army post close to the Mali frontier, a security source said, in the Tillaberi region that has been frequently targeted by jihadists.
All the assailants were "neutralised" in an air strike after they attacked a military post in Ayorou, 200 km (124 miles) northwest of the Niger capital Niamey, the security source said.
Since 2015, Niger has struggled against a wave of jihadist attacks near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, especially in Tillaberi and Tahoua, where nearly 78,000 people have been displaced.
Niger and Burkina Faso are two countries in the vast Sahel region fighting the growing Islamist insurgency that began in Mali and has since spread across the borders.
Authorities in the restive Tillaberi region ramped up security restrictions, closed markets and banned motorbike traffic after attacks by jihadist groups over December and January killed 174 Nigerien soldiers. (AFP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)