Niger raises to about 20 the military killed in an attack near the border with Mali

18 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Niger authorities have raised to 17 the number of soldiers killed in the attack carried out last week against a patrol in the province of Banibangou, near the border with Mali, an event that has also resulted in twelve soldiers missing.

The General Staff of the Nigerien Army has indicated that the ambush resulted in twelve soldiers being injured and five vehicles set on fire, while the assailants stole a sixth vehicle, according to the ActuNiger news portal.

Likewise, he stressed that the Armed Forces continue with their operations to combat terrorist groups in the area, affected in recent years by an upsurge in attacks by jihadist organizations.

The country faces a terrorist threat in the west from al Qaeda’s branch in Mali, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), and the Islamic State in the Sahel –formerly the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. (ISGS)–.

Likewise, the Diffa region, bathed by Lake Chad, is the scene of relatively frequent attacks by Boko Haram and its splinter, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA).