The defence ministry in Niamey said that at least 17 Nigeriene troops were killed and 20 were injured in an attack by alleged jihadists on Tuesday close to the Niger-Mali border.
Early Tuesday afternoon, a detachment of the Nigerien Armed Forces (FAN) moving between Boni and Torodi was a victim of a terrorist ambush near Koutougou locality, according to a tweet by Makama Zagazola, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad region.
The preliminary check-in is 17 fallen soldiers and 20 injured, including six seriously, all evacuated in Niamey, he added, noting that a raid operation is still underway.
The army says on the side of the assailants, two columns of more than fifty motorcycles each were destroyed, or more than a hundred terrorists neutralized in their retaliation.
The town of Koutougou is close to the Mali border in the Tillabéri region (South-West).
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This is the deadliest attack known since the July 26 coup d’état in Niger that toppled President-elect Mohamed Bazoum.
The military, who took power with General Abdourahamane Tiani as their head, mainly highlighted the deterioration of the security situation to justify their coup d’état.
Tillabéri region is located in the so-called three borders area between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, and is a safe haven for Saheli jihadists, including those from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS).
