NIAMEY, May 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Niger’s army said that 55 insurgents, including several high-ranking combatants affiliated to the Daesh group, had been killed in a joint operation with Nigeria.
The 22-day operation which ended Sunday targeted an Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stronghold in Arege in northeastern Nigeria’s border region with Niger, it said.
The 55 “neutralised terrorists” include several senior military operatives as well as several religious leaders, it said.
The figures were given in an army bulletin on operations in Niger’s southeastern region of Diffa.
The ground and air operation aimed to “maintain pressure” on ISWAP and cut supply routes, the bulletin added.
Two soldiers were killed and three were injured, it said, adding that 13 vehicles, 13 motorcycles and five “booby-trapped vehicles” were destroyed.
The vast Lake Chad region, shared by Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, is a notorious bolthole for Boko Haram militants and ISWAP, their deadly rival.
The four countries bordering the lake set up a multinational anti-insurgent force in 2015.
Niger earlier this month said the army had picked up nearly 1,400 Boko Haram followers who were fleeing into the country following clashes with ISWAP.
The exodus started in March when ISWAP pursued Boko Haram in its forest hideout of Sambisa in northeastern Nigeria.
Niger’s Diffa region has born the brunt of insurgency attacks over the years but has been relatively calm since the start of 2023, a security source said.
The country, one of the poorest nations in the world, is also facing an insurgency in its southwest, launched by militants who launched cross-border raids from Mali in 2015. — NNN-AGENCIES
