Attack on Niger military base leaves 71 soldiers dead
(CNN) An attack on a military base in Niger has left 71 soldiers dead and 12 wounded, Defense Minister Issoufou Katambe said on Wednesday.
The attack happened on Tuesday when several hundred heavily armed militants ambushed the soldiers at a military outpost in Inates, located in the west of the country near the border with Mali, according to Katambe.
Présidence du Niger✔@PresidenceNigerLe Président de la République, Chef suprême des armées, SEM @IssoufouMhm a interrompu sa participation à la Conférence sur « la Paix Durable, la Sécurité et le Développement en #Afrique » qui se tient en #Égypte pour rentrer à #Niamey suite au drame survenu à #Inates. 3169:03 AM - Dec 11, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy
Fierce fighting followed between 15.00 hours to 18.00 hours and a "substantial number of the terrorists were neutralized," Katambe said. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is believed to be one of the deadliest against Niger's military.According to the presidency's official Twitter handle, President Mahamadou Issoufou who was in Egypt at the time the "tragedy" took place had to cut off his trip to return home.The attack came just days ahead of a summit in France between President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of five West African leaders to discuss the deteriorating security in the region.That meeting has now been postponed to early 2020, according to a Reuters report.
Niger is a member of the G5 Sahel force of troops from Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad set up in 2014 to tackle insecurity. Military investigation finds series of failures led to deadly Niger ambush
US and France have deployed soldiers to Niger to assist local troops with intelligence gathering and operations as it battles Boko Haram and al Qaeda militants in the region. Niger also shares a border with Mali, where an al Qaeda affiliate and other Islamist groups thrive in the vast desert.The region has been beset by violence from suspected Islamist militant groups over in recent months. Thirteen French soldiers were killed in a crash involving two helicopters during an operation against jihadists fighters in Mali last month.At least 53 soldiers died in a terrorist attack on a military camp in the country's north-east in November.
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