At least six people were killed Wednesday night through a double attack by unknown individuals believed to be jihadists on Niger’s border with Burkina Faso, authorities in Niamey said on Friday.
The “provisional report” said “six dead, including a gendarme, two customs officers and three civilians” and “ten wounded, including four gendarmes, three police officers, two customs officers and a civilian”, the ministry said in a statement. Interior read during a public radio news bulletin.
The attacks were carried out on Thursday “around 02:00” (local time; 03:00 Greek time), by “unknown persons, heavily armed”, who targeted, at the same time, two facilities: a police station at the border and bridge near Makalodi, Niger’s last large community before the border with Burkina Faso, the ministry said.
Sources in the area reported the day before yesterday, Thursday, to the French Agency that several people were killed during the double attack.
The police station was “set on fire”, the ministry said yesterday. Eight vehicles, one of the police and seven privately owned, were “charred”, while two vehicles, including one of the police, were “stolen” from the perpetrators of the attack, he said.
The ministry assured that a “clearing operation” is underway in the area, which is forested and inaccessible.
Macalodi is located in the Toronto region of Tilabery, in the so-called “transnational border zone”, with Burkina Faso and Mali. There are jihadists in the Sahel region, including the Islamic State in the Sahara (ICT).
For years, the western part of Niger has been frequently attacked by jihadists, despite the massive deployment of forces and the declaration of a state of emergency.
In November 2018, two gendarmes were killed in Macalodi during an attack by men riding motorcycles against their position.
On Wednesday, Tilabery authorities announced that they were closing several gas stations in order to prevent the supply of members of jihadist organizations, which usually travel on motorcycles and four-wheel drive cars.
Authorities have also closed markets and refugee camps and barred motorcycles from blocking the movement and supply of jihadists.
Source: AMPE
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Source From: Capital
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