Latest news with #AlQaeda
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Armed men in western Niger kill 34 soldiers and wound 14, authorities say
DAKAR: 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-Qaeda and the Daesh 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.
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Niger targets jihadist financing, kills 13 in illegal gold mine raids
Niger's army has raided jihadist-controlled informal mining sites in the country's west, killing more than a dozen insurgents and seizing material linked to the manufacture of improvised explosive devices, it said. An army statement said the raids took place last week in the Tagueye locality, near Niger's western border with Burkina Faso. It said 13 insurgents were killed and one arrested. "Previously under the control of armed terrorist groups, these sites have been dismantled and systematically rendered inoperative," said the army statement released over the weekend. The raids "aimed at drying up the sources of financing for terrorist activities", it said. Like Sahel neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is battling an insurgency by jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State that have killed thousands and taken control of villages in its western border and the south.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Niger targets jihadist financing, kills 13 in illegal gold mine raids
NIAMEY - Niger's army has raided jihadist-controlled informal mining sites in the country's west, killing more than a dozen insurgents and seizing material linked to the manufacture of improvised explosive devices, it said. An army statement said the raids took place last week in the Tagueye locality, near Niger's western border with Burkina Faso. It said 13 insurgents were killed and one arrested. "Previously under the control of armed terrorist groups, these sites have been dismantled and systematically rendered inoperative," said the army statement released over the weekend. The raids "aimed at drying up the sources of financing for terrorist activities", it said. Like Sahel neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is battling an insurgency by jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State that have killed thousands and taken control of villages in its western border and the south. The military-ruled government expelled French forces, turning instead to Russia to help fight the insurgents. Ryan Cummings, director of the Africa-focused intelligence firm Signal Risk, said the raids may have temporarily disrupted illicit gold mining, but cutting off insurgents' financing required stronger efforts. "The minute state forces depart areas and mining sites with militant presence, the same actors can return to these deposits and restart operations," Cummings said. The insurgency in Niger has further battered the economy in Niger, where around 4.5 million people, or 17% of the population, required aid in 2024, according to the United Nations. In May, eight staff of privately-owned Nguvu Mining, which operates the Samira Hill gold mine southwest of the capital Niamey, were killed when the military-escorted bus they were travelling in ran over an IED, a company executive told Reuters. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
As U.S. Aid Dries Up, West Africa Fights Expanding Jihadist Threat
At a market in Tougbo, a small town in northern Ivory Coast, the smell of dried fish and fried dough filled the air. Children ran around the bustling stalls where women sold the corn and cassava they had carried on their heads for miles in the countryside. Muslim elders watched the crowds on the sandy main street, while Christian worshipers poured out of church after Sunday mass. Yet the bustle belied an insidious threat. About half of terrorism deaths worldwide in 2023 were recorded in the Sahel, the arid region in West Africa known for its seminomadic tribes and ancient trade routes. Emboldened by their success in the landlocked nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, insurgents affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are moving south toward the Atlantic and into coastal nations such as Ivory Coast. Jihadist attacks 2019-2021 Both periods 2022-2025 MALI Jihadist activity has moved south. 100 Miles NIGER Bamako BURKINA FASO BENIN GHANA IVORY COAST TOGO Detail AFRICA Atlantic Ocean Jihadist attacks: 2019-2021 Both periods 2022-2025 MALI Jihadist activity has moved south. 100 Miles NIGER Bamako BURKINA FASO BENIN IVORY COAST GHANA TOGO AFRICA Detail Abidjan Atlantic Ocean Source: Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project By Samuel Granados African and Western officials fear the advance will further destabilize West Africa at a time when the United States and European allies have drawn down their presence here, and the Trump administration has turned its attention to a chaotic deportation policy and travel ban that does not include any nations in the Sahel. As the insurgents push toward the Atlantic, fears are growing that an area with one of the world's youngest populations and high levels of poverty will soon fall under jihadist rule. 'One of the terrorists' new objectives is gaining access to West Africa coasts. If they secure access to the coastline, they can finance their operations through smuggling, human trafficking and arms trading,' Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley, the head of U.S. Africa Command, said last month. 'This puts not just African nations at risk, but also increases the chance of threats reaching the U.S. shores.' MALI BURKINA FASO Ouangolodougou Tougbo Doropo Korhogo Bolè Kafolo COMOÉ NATIONAL PARK IVORY COAST GHANA Abidjan Gulf of Guinea 100 mileS By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Arab News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Student who stabbed Labour MP in east London in 2010 to be freed from prison, says Parole Board
LONDON: A student who attempted to murder Labour MP Stephen Timms in May 2010 can be released from prison following a Parole Board decision. Roshonara Choudhry was 21 when she was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years for stabbing Timms twice in the stomach, and was also charged with two counts of possessing an offensive weapon. Choudhry, a former King's College London student, was radicalized after watching lectures by an Al-Qaeda cleric, and her attack was believed to have been the first Al-Qaeda-inspired attempt to assassinate a politician on British soil. Choudhry attacked the East Ham MP, the minister of state for social security and disability in the current UK government, while he held a constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe community center in east London. Following her arrest, she told police the stabbing was 'punishment' and 'to get revenge for the people of Iraq.' During a Parole Board hearing on May 20, a panel decided to release her from prison. It added that her imprisonment 'was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.' Choudhry, now 36, participated in programs while in prison to understand her extreme beliefs, and her behavior was described by the panel as 'exemplary.' It added: 'Ms Choudhry was assessed as having shown a very high level of insight and understanding of herself. 'She would no longer be likely to be influenced by other people with strong negative views, having developed the ability to critically evaluate information and to seek help from professionals if she needs it.' The panel recommended Choudhry's release on license, with conditions to live at a designated address, follow a curfew, and avoid contact with Timms.
