Attack by Extremists Claims Lives of Dozen Soldiers in Western Niger
In a tragic incident, an assault orchestrated by Islamic extremists in western Niger resulted in the loss of a minimum of twelve soldiers, with an additional seven soldiers sustaining injuries. The soldiers found themselves under attack while on a mission in the town of Kandadji, situated in the Tillaberi region.
Immediately following the attack, the wounded soldiers were evacuated promptly to military hospitals for necessary medical care.
This devastating assault, carried out by hundreds of jihadis on motorcycles, took place in the Tillaberi region’s town of Kandadji. General Salifou Mody, Niger’s defense minister, conveyed this information in an official statement. The statement further noted that the junta claimed to have successfully neutralized a hundred extremists while also dismantling their motorcycles and weapons. However, the Associated Press was unable to independently verify this assertion.
For years, Niger has been confronting a jihadi insurgency connected to both al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. The frequency of these attacks has surged, particularly after mutinous soldiers overthrew the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, in July.
In the month following the junta’s seizure of power, violence primarily linked to extremists escalated by over 40%, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. In August, jihadi attacks targeting civilians quadrupled in comparison to the preceding month, and attacks on security forces in the Tillaberi region resulted in the loss of a minimum of 40 soldiers, according to the same report.
Niger was considered one of the last democratic nations in Africa’s Sahel region that Western countries could collaborate with to combat the expansive jihadi insurgency below the Sahara Desert. The United States, France, and other European nations invested significant resources in supporting the Nigerien military.
However, amid mounting anti-France sentiment in the former colony, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the withdrawal of his country’s 1,500 troops stationed in Niger by the end of the year. Sylvain Itte, France’s ambassador to Niger, departed the country after a prolonged standoff with the junta, which had ordered his departure.
The diminishing support from France and potentially from the United States is expected to pose a significant challenge for the junta in countering the jihadi threat, according to conflict analysts. Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, expressed concern over the situation, stating that without allied support, Niger’s forces would face substantial difficulties in holding their ground.
The area where Thursday’s attack occurred is known to be active with the Islamic State group and was previously supported by French special operations forces, Nasr explained. Furthermore, the security vacuum left by the French withdrawal has intensified rivalries among various jihadi groups in the region.