At least 12 Nigerien soldiers and "
dozens of terrorists
" were killed on Saturday in intense fighting in western Niger, inside the so-called "
three borders
" area, the Nigerien ministry of justice announced on Sunday. Defense.
Read alsoThe President of Niger "grateful" to France and its "sacrifices"
The "
clashes
" took place "
five kilometers
" from the town of Fantio, between the Nigerien soldiers and "
hundreds of armed terrorists: 12 elements fell on the field of honor, eight wounded. On the enemy side, dozens of terrorists neutralized (killed),
”according to a press release. "
Several motorcycles
" of the attackers were "
destroyed
" and "
means of communication recovered
", he underlines. At first, the Nigerien soldiers "
fiercely defended themselves and caused dozens of enemy deaths, before being overwhelmed by their numbers
", explains the ministry.
But "
reinforcements from
" the towns of "
Wanzarbé and Téra
", as well as "
air support (...) contributed to rout the enemy who left dozens of dead and equipment
", notes t -he. Fantio is a rural commune in the Téra department in the Tillabéri region, which is regularly struck by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State.
In May, five villagers were killed in Fantio "
by a horde of terrorists who came on motorbikes
", when the country was celebrating the festival of Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of Muslim Ramadan.
The attack also left two seriously injured and the church was set on fire.
At the end of June, two civilians, a school principal and a retired police inspector, were murdered there and livestock taken away.
In addition to the attacks of Sahelian jihadist groups, including the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS), in its western part, Niger also has to face those of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap ) in its south-eastern part, near Nigeria.
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