About 46 soldiers of Nigerien defense and Security Forces (SDF) were reported killed in an attack by militants of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) on Saturday.
Gatekeepers News reports that Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region disclosed this.
The publication said attack targeted an SDF position in Iknewane, Tilia department, near Mali border in Niger’s Tahoua region.
It described the attack as a large-scale and highly intense coordinated operation that caught the military by surprise.
The attackers who reportedly were heavily armed and in large numbers, overran the base and destroyed nine out of the 16 military vehicles stationed there.
Zagazola added that the militants looted weapons and ammunition, noting that a dozen soldiers were reportedly taken hostage while several others remain missing.
A military convoy of 20 vehicles from Niger Armed Forces (FAN) and another from National Guard (GNN) has been deployed from Tahoua to conduct operations in the area.
