In the deadliest attack by Jihadists since the army staged a coup on July 26, the Nigerien defence ministry reported that at least 29 soldiers have been killed.
The ministry stated that the troops were killed by “improvised explosive devices and kamikaze vehicles” during a counter-offensive near the border with Mali. In response, “several dozen terrorists” were also killed.
Jihadist attacks on the army have increased since the military coup, with the coup leaders claiming to have overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum’s government due to deteriorating security conditions.
The 1,500 French forces fighting the insurgency in Niger, which spilled over from Mali in 2015, are set to withdraw by the end of the year under pressure from the junta. Last week, France’s ambassador left Niger after being blockaded in the French embassy for several weeks on the junta’s orders.
Niger’s military has declared a three-day national mourning period following the attack in the western Tahoua region on Monday night.
The army was conducting operations to “neutralize the threat” posed by al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group when the soldiers came under attack, according to the ministry. The attackers reportedly “benefited from outside expertise.”
The increase in jihadist attacks in Niger is linked to a security vacuum created when soldiers were recalled to the capital, Niamey, to guard the coup leaders.
Last Thursday, hundreds of militants on motorbikes killed 12 soldiers in southwestern Niger, and in a separate attack near the Burkina Faso border last month, at least 17 soldiers were killed.
Neighboring Mali has also seen a surge in jihadist and rebel violence following the departure of French troops and the winding down of UN operations at the request of the junta. Mali is now relying on the Russian mercenary group Wagner to combat jihadists.
Last month, the military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger signed a security pact to cooperate in the fight against militants and external aggression.
