Twelve Nigerien soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack near the Mali border, the army said. Reinforcements pursued the attackers, arresting two suspects near the troubled Tillaberi region.
THE DEFENSE POST
Twelve Nigerien soldiers were killed Friday when jihadists attacked an anti-terrorism unit in the west of Niger near the Malian border, the army said Saturday.
The unit was “attacked in a cowardly fashion by terrorist elements concealed by civilian camps,” and 12 members “made the ultimate sacrifice,” the military said in a statement.
The assault took place about 10 kilometers (six miles) north of Sakoira, near Tillaberi, a major city in western Niger.
Reinforcements were deployed and “forced the enemy to flee northward” toward the Malian border, the army said. “A large-scale pursuit operation has been launched,” it added, with two suspected attackers arrested.
The region around Tillaberi, near the borders of Mali and Burkina Faso, has been plagued for years by deadly attacks carried out by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Niger has been ruled by a military junta since July 2023, when officers seized power in a coup.