Printed on Wed Aug 10 2022 5:37:48 PM
Gunmen kill 11 soldiers in Niger, 9 missing
At least 11 army members have been killed and nine others are missing after gunmen opened fire on them in the West African country of Niger. The incident took place in the village of Dagne in the southwestern part of the country.
The Niger Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The Niger-based Islamist militant group controls a border village in neighboring Mali.
A statement from the Ministry of Defense said the army was patrolling the area to liberate Dagne and surrounding villages from militants. On Thursday evening, a group of armed militants came in several cars and motorbikes and attacked an army camp outside the village.
The Defense Ministry said that members of the army were killed and missing in the ambush.
So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the idea of the country's security forces is directly linked to the attack by the international militant group Islamic State (IS).
A few months ago, IS attacked the village of Dagan. Hundreds were killed. After that incident, the army was patrolling in Dagne and its surrounding villages.
Two days before the attack on Thursday, November 4, militants attacked another area near the Mali border on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people. The distance from Dagne to that area is only 100 kilometers.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, three West African countries, are barren and impoverished. The activities of various armed groups including Islamist militant groups have been increasing in these areas for the last few years.
Al Qaeda and Islamic State are active in Niger. They have been in conflict with the army for the last few years. Thousands of civilians have already been killed in the conflict, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced.
Voice TV/IA
The Niger Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The Niger-based Islamist militant group controls a border village in neighboring Mali.
A statement from the Ministry of Defense said the army was patrolling the area to liberate Dagne and surrounding villages from militants. On Thursday evening, a group of armed militants came in several cars and motorbikes and attacked an army camp outside the village.
The Defense Ministry said that members of the army were killed and missing in the ambush.
So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the idea of the country's security forces is directly linked to the attack by the international militant group Islamic State (IS).
A few months ago, IS attacked the village of Dagan. Hundreds were killed. After that incident, the army was patrolling in Dagne and its surrounding villages.
Two days before the attack on Thursday, November 4, militants attacked another area near the Mali border on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people. The distance from Dagne to that area is only 100 kilometers.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, three West African countries, are barren and impoverished. The activities of various armed groups including Islamist militant groups have been increasing in these areas for the last few years.
Al Qaeda and Islamic State are active in Niger. They have been in conflict with the army for the last few years. Thousands of civilians have already been killed in the conflict, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced.
Voice TV/IA
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