The Malian defense ministry has reported that 17 Niger troops had been slain in an ambush by suspected jihadists near the border with Mali.
It was reported that on Tuesday a detachment of the armed forces was “the victim of a terrorist ambush near the town of Koutougou”, said a ministry statement published late Tuesday, adding that another 20 soldiers had been injured, six seriously.
According to the army, more than 100 insurgents were “neutralised” during their retreat.
For more than a decade, a jihadist insurgency has wracked Africa’s Sahel region, beginning in northern Mali in 2012 and extending to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
The region commonly referred to as the “three borders” area, which encompasses the shared boundaries of three nations, frequently experiences insurgent assaults perpetrated by factions associated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
The ongoing turmoil inside the region has resulted in the loss of numerous military personnel, law enforcement officers, and innocent citizens, while also leading to the displacement of millions from their residences.
