Once again, suspected Jihadists have claimed the lives of no less than seventeen Nigerien soldiers in a recent surprise attack near the Mali border.
Late on Tuesday night, the defense ministry confirmed this tragic incident through an official statement, stating that an armed forces detachment had fallen “victim to a terrorist ambush close to the town of Koutougou.”
The ministry’s communication unveiled that at least twenty-six soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries during the ambush.
As they retreated, the army managed to “neutralize” more than 100 assailants.
For over a decade, a jihadist insurgency has plagued the Sahel region in Africa. It first emerged in northern Mali in 2012 and then expanded to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
Referred to as the “three borders” region among these countries, it frequently becomes the target of attacks carried out by insurgents linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
The ongoing turmoil across the area has resulted in the deaths of numerous troops, police personnel, and civilians, compelling millions to abandon their homes.
The anger stemming from this relentless bloodshed has led to military takeovers in all three nations since 2020. Niger became the latest to experience a coup on July 26 when President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown.
Additionally, Niger is grappling with a jihadist insurgency in its southeastern region, as militants cross over from northeastern Nigeria. This area served as the birthplace of the campaign initiated by Boko Haram back in 2010.
