Six soldiers and 31 “terrorists” were killed on Sunday and Monday in fighting in the Téra zone in western Niger near Burkina Faso, the Nigerian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
“From Sunday, October 15 to Monday, October 16, 2023, a series of clashes with terrorist elements took place in the Lemdou area, 50 km to the northwest, as part of a Defense and Security Forces (FDS) cleanup mission of Operation Niya of Téra “, explains the ministry in a press release sent to AFP.
“Six soldiers died” and eighteen others were injured and evacuated to Niamey, according to the military regime, which came to power in a coup in late July.
Nigerian soldiers responded “with bravery” by “routing the enemy” and “killing 31 terrorists,” he asserts, a figure that could not be confirmed by an independent source.
The fighting took place in the Tillabéri (West) region, in the middle of the so-called “three borders” zone between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which has become a hideout for Sahel jihadists linked to al-Qaeda and the EIGS .
In recent weeks, Niger has seen several attacks in this region, which has been destabilized by jihadists for several years.
The highest death toll was recorded in early October, when 29 soldiers were killed in a “complex attack” by suspected jihadists northwest of Tabatol, a town near Mali.
In late September, 16 soldiers were killed in another attack in the town of Kandaji, and in mid-August at least 17 soldiers died near the border with Burkina.
Niger has been ruled since July 26 by a military regime that came to power in a coup that overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum.