News   /   More

Nigerien army says it killed 109 Boko Haram terrorists

Nigerien army soldiers (file photo)

The Nigerien army says it has killed 109 members of Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group following the militants’ attacks on Niger’s southeastern towns of Bosso and Diffa.

On Friday morning, "elements of the Boko Haram terrorist group launched two simultaneous attacks at Bosso and Diffa. At Bosso, Niger's defense forces helped by Chadian troops neutralized the assailants," said a statement by Niger’s Defense Minister Karidio Mahamadou.

Boko Haram’s raid on “Diffa region has been repulsed. We have Chadian planes bombarding the locality," a Nigerien military source said.

Four soldiers of the Nigerien army were killed, 13 were injured and two were left missing after the fighting in Bosso.

General Yaya Doud, the commander of the Chadian forces in Niger, was also injured in Bosso, a security source said.

The clashes in Niger occurred as regional efforts are underway in a meeting in the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, with the aim of finalizing plans to establish a 7,500-strong force from Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Benin to fight the Nigeria-based terror group whose militancy has spread out to neighboring countries.

Boko Haram militants raided Cameroon’s border town of Fotokol on February 4 and 5, killing nearly 100 people and wounding 500 others, Cameroonian officials said.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” controls parts of northeastern Nigeria and says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its militancy in 2009, which have left over 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million displaced.

Boko Haram has also conducted terrorist attacks in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

MSM/AS/MHB


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku