29 soldiers lost their lives in a brutal attack by suspected jihadists in western Niger.
The country’s defense ministry announced this sad news on Monday night and declared a three-day national mourning period.
The attackers used “improvised explosive devices and kamikaze vehicles by more than a hundred terrorists,” and they numbered more than a hundred terrorists, according to the ministry’s televised statement.
Alongside the casualties, two soldiers sustained serious injuries, and several terrorists were also killed in the confrontation.
This devastating attack occurred near Niger’s border with Mali, as part of military operations aimed at neutralizing the threat posed by the Islamic State in that region.
The ministry revealed that they intercepted communications from the terrorists, who eventually withdrew.
They also mentioned that the attackers had received support from outside sources, although no further details were provided.
“Communications from the terrorists, who were forced to withdraw, have been intercepted“, the ministry said, adding that the attackers “benefitted from outside expertise“,
For over a decade, the Sahel region of Africa has been plagued by a jihadist insurgency.
It initially began in northern Mali in 2012 and subsequently spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
The area referred to as the “three borders” region, where Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso converge, has frequently witnessed attacks by militants associated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
The ongoing violence has led to military takeovers in all three countries, with Niger being the most recent to experience a coup on July 26, which removed its democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, from power.
Sadly, in August, another attack by suspected jihadists near the Niger-Burkina Faso border resulted in the loss of 17 Nigerien soldiers and injuries to 20 others.
