Armed men on motorbikes kill 34 Niger soldiers, ministry says
NIAMEY, June 20 (Reuters) - Several hundred armed men, many on motorbikes, attacked a Niger army base near the border with Mali, leaving at least 34 soldiers dead and 14 wounded, the Defence Ministry said.
The attackers - described as "mercenaries" by the ministry - used eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes in the raid on the base in Bani-bangou on Thursday, according to the statement read out on state TV.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on the army base in a statement on its Telegram channel on Friday.
Niger, like other countries in West Africa's Sahel region, is battling Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
Troops carried out aerial and ground search operations to secure the area after the attack, the ministry said without going into more detail on the assault.
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Reuters
13 hours ago
- Reuters
Armed men on motorbikes kill 34 Niger soldiers, ministry says
NIAMEY, June 20 (Reuters) - Several hundred armed men, many on motorbikes, attacked a Niger army base near the border with Mali, leaving at least 34 soldiers dead and 14 wounded, the Defence Ministry said. The attackers - described as "mercenaries" by the ministry - used eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes in the raid on the base in Bani-bangou on Thursday, according to the statement read out on state TV. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on the army base in a statement on its Telegram channel on Friday. Niger, like other countries in West Africa's Sahel region, is battling Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. Troops carried out aerial and ground search operations to secure the area after the attack, the ministry said without going into more detail on the assault.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Niger attack: More than 200 gunmen on motorbikes storm army base in Banibangou
More than 200 gunmen on motorbikes have attacked a Niger army base near the border with Mali, leaving at least 34 soldiers dead, the country's defence ministry said. The attackers - described by the ministry as "mercenaries" - raided the base in the western town of Banibangou on Thursday, injuring 14 other soldiers. The ministry said that its forces killed "dozens of terrorists" in the military is under pressure for failing to curb militant attacks, one of its justifications for deposing democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023. "This Thursday, June 19, a cowardly and barbaric attack was carried out against [the town of] Banibangou by a horde of several hundred mercenaries aboard eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes," the ministry said in a statement read out on state added that the troops were conducting search operations in Banibangou to track down the region with more 'terror deaths' than rest of world combinedNiger military leaders to nationalise uranium firmThe town, which lies close to the three-way border between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, is prone to jihadist attacks from Islamist groups. Niger's ruling junta has expelled French and US forces that had been heavily involved in the fight against jihadists. West African neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali are facing an insurgency from different jihadist groups which operate across the Sahel region. The three countries have formed an alliance to fight the jihadists and scaled back ties with the West, turning to Russia and Turkey instead for their security the violence has continued. You may also be interested in: WATCH: How has Niger changed since the coup?Three military-run states leave West African bloc - what will change?'I thought I would die' - freed captive tells BBC of life in West African jihadist basePODCAST: The Sahel's coup contagion Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Armed men in western Niger kill 34 soldiers and wound 14, authorities say
Armed men killed 34 soldiers and wounded 14 others in western Niger near the tri-state border with Mali and Burkina Faso, the defense ministry said. The attack was carred out around 9 a.m. Thursday in Banibangou by attackers using eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes, the ministry said in a statement. The government said its forces killed dozens of attackers it called 'terrorists,' adding that search operations by land and air were being conduted to find additional assailants. Niger, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in the three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia's mercenary units for security assistance. The three countries have vowed to strengthen their cooperation by establishing a new security alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States. But the security situation in the Sahel, a vast region on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, has significantly worsened since the juntas took power, analysts say, with a record number of attacks and civilians killed by Islamic militants and government forces.
