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'109 Boko Haram fighters dead' after first attack on Niger


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first-boko-haram-attack-niger-witnesses-000757903.htmlAFP:

Boureima Hama

Feb. 6 2016

 

Niamey (AFP) - Boko Haram launched its first major attack in Niger on Friday, triggering a forceful response from regional troops who claimed to have killed more than a hundred of the Islamists. The clashes in Bosso and Diffa, along the border with Nigeria, marked yet another expansion of violence attributed to Boko Haram, but it seemed to have come at a heavy cost.

Niger's defence minister reported that 109 of the Islamists were killed, along with four soldiers and a civilian. Seventeen other troops were wounded.

 

Chadian forces, who have taken a lead role in battling Boko Haram in recent days, fought alongside Niger troops on Friday. Its commander in Niger, General Yaya Daoud, was also wounded with a gunshot to the stomach, a security source said.

 

Niger Defence Minister Mahamadou Karidjo said calm had been restored to both areas.

The clashes in Niger came as regional efforts intensified to battle Boko Haram, which has waged a six-year insurgency centred in northeastern Nigeria, where the Islamists have seized swathes of territory.

 

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Boko Haram brings war to Niger, senior Chadian general wounded
LWJ Staff

February 8, 2015

 

Niger%20Map_BBC-thumb-560x315-5731.png

Map of conflict zone between Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger. Source: BBC

 

Fierce battles between Boko Haram and a growing coalition of Nigeria's neighboring states has left hundreds dead this week. Swarms of the group's jihadists launched a series of attacks inside Niger on February 6, marking the first time that Boko Haram has penetrated into that country. The attacks, which reportedly left over 100 Boko Haram fighters dead, also injured a senior Chadian army general.

Details on the clashes were reported by the AFP:



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Earlier this week, Boko Haram counterattacked Chadian forces staging in the strategic village of Fotokol located in Cameroon, killing at least 70 people and destroying many homes as well as the central mosque, according to the BBC.

 

Unnamed US intelligence officials estimated this week that Boko Haram has about 4,000-6,000 "hardcore" fighters. The Islamist force has long occupied large swathes of territory in northeastern Nigeria and over 1.5 million Nigerians have been displaced by the violence. On February 7, the Nigerian electoral commission announced it will postpone the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for February 14 for six weeks, allowing for more time to secure the volatile northeastern areas, according to the AFP.

(Snip)

 

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