Niger: Two Soldiers and 55 “Terrorists” Killed in an Operation

maryam lahbal
maryam lahbal
2 Min Read
terrorists

The armies of Niger and Nigeria jointly carried out an operation from May 6th to 28th and killed two soldiers and 55 “terrorists”, including several senior military figures of the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP).

The military operations bulletin in the Diffa region (southeast of Niger) reported on Monday that the main objective of this operation was “to neutralize the terrorists” who were in their stronghold of AregĂ©, in northeastern Nigeria, bordering Niger.

The bulletin specifies that among the 55 “terrorists neutralized” are “several senior military officials” as well as “several religious leaders”.

According to the same source, this “land and air” operation aimed “to maintain pressure” on Iswap and to “cut” the supply routes of armed terrorist groups.

In addition to the two soldiers killed, whose identities have not been specified, three other soldiers were injured and an army vehicle was “damaged”.

The Lake Chad basin, which stretches its shores between Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, is a vast expanse of water and swamps where Boko Haram and ISWAP have established hideouts on countless islets.

Since March, the Nigerian army has intercepted 1,397 suspected members of the jihadist group Boko Haram and their families fleeing “bloody” fighting with its rival Iswap in Nigeria. In July 2015, the four states surrounding the lake set up the Multinational Joint Force (MMF) of 8,500 men to fight against armed jihadist groups.

These people usually live in the Sambissa Forest in northeastern Nigeria and travel to the Nigerian islands in Lake Chad to flee the fighting.

Maryam Lahbal

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