NIAMEY: Niger defense ministry on Monday night said that at least twenty-nine soldiers were killed in the western part of the country during a suspected jihadist attack.
The ministry in a televised statement said that more than a hundred terrorists targeted the soldiers with improvised explosive devices and kamikaze vehicles.
Three-day national mourning declared
It said that the government declared a three-day national mourning period due to the tragic incident.
According to the ministry, two soldiers were seriously injured while several dozen terrorists were also killed.
The attack took place near Niger’s border with Mali, during military operations aimed to counter the threat posed by the Jihadists.
The ministry further said that it intercepted communications of terrorists, who were forced to withdraw. It believed that the terrorists had outside support, however, it did not give any further details on the matter.
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A jihadist insurgency has affected Africa’s Sahel region for more than a decade, starting in northern Mali in 2012 before spreading to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
Militants affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda regularly carry out attacks on three border areas between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
The violence has fuelled military takeovers in all three states, with Niger the latest to fall to a coup on July 26 that ousted its democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
In August, at least 17 Nigerien soldiers were killed and 20 others injured in an attack by jihadists near the border between Niger and Burkina Faso.
