Niger’s air force raided a base of Boko Haram insurgents in the south-eastern part of the country and arrested over 20 militants, security sources said on Thursday.
The operation was described as the biggest counter-attack in eight months.
The group based mostly in Nigeria has launched different attacks on the Lake Chad area, including Niger’s southern border region of Diffa.
Government forces tracked the militants after a soldier was killed on Monday when a military vehicle was blown up by remote control used by the group.
Advertisement
“Our air forces destroyed this nest, but we do not yet have an official death toll,” a military officer said.
The officer said soldiers had arrested the remaining fighters.
In October, Niger’s parliament approved a three-month extension of a 15-day state of emergency in Diffa in order to boost security.
Advertisement
A long-awaited 8,700 regional task force is set to begin joint raids on Boko Haram’s last enclaves when the rainy season ends soon, according to a top UN official in West Africa.
Add a comment
