At least seven soldiers were murdered and several others injured when suspected jihad terrorists attacked a town in the western African country of Niger, the TV channel France24 reported. Other media outlets estimate the death toll in the well-coordinated terror attack to be even higher. “At least a dozen Niger soldiers were killed following an attack by hundreds of armed insurgents on motorbikes in the country’s southwest on Thursday morning, the West African nation’s defence ministry said in a statement,” Reuters reported.
The former French colony of 25 million is nearly 98 percent Muslim, but still has a tiny Christian population. The latest attack highlights the growing jihad activity in the country, which is in political turmoil since military overthrew the country’s president in July.
The jihad terrorism raging across the Sub-Sahara Africa has also reached Niger. Boko Haram and other jihad outfits – with affiliations to global Islamic terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State – have been massacring Christian communities across the region. “Ongoing violence by extremist Islamic militants in the Sahel region has increased the pressure on Christians. Jihadist groups have expanded their areas of influence in the country,” the Netherlands-based charity Open Doors reports. “[I]n the last few years, the country has seen a series of attacks by Islamic militants.”
“Several Niger soldiers killed in suspected jihadist attack,” France24, September 29, 2023:
Niger’s defence minister, Salifou Mody, said in a statement that a military unit had been “violently attacked by several hundred terrorists” in the town of Kandadji on Thursday, adding that seven soldiers were killed in the fighting.
“During an intervention” launched in response to the attack, “a tragic traffic accident led to the loss of five of our brave soldiers”, he continued.
Another seven people were injured and evacuated to a hospital, he said….
The Tillaberi region, where the attack took place, is located in the so-called “three borders” zone where Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet. The area is a hideout for jihadists, particularly those affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
In the country’s southwest, where it shares a border with Nigeria, it is similarly plagued by attacks by Boko Haram and its dissident branch, the Islamic State in West Africa Province.