Fifteen soldiers were killed in Niger during clashes in the Téra region near the Burkina Faso border, as the country continues to distance itself from its former colonial ruler, France.
Niger's Ministry of Defense announced the casualties in a statement broadcast on national television on Monday.
The statement detailed that a unit from the Nigerien Defense and Security Forces engaged with armed terrorist groups along the Bankilaré-Téra axis, near the village of Foneko in the Tillabéri region.
The initial death toll is reported as 15 soldiers, with three soldiers missing and 16 others injured and subsequently transported to a hospital in Téra.
During the battle, 21 terrorists were killed, and eight motorcycles they were using were destroyed, according to the ministry.
Additionally, two Nigerien military vehicles were destroyed.
The arrival of reinforcements from Téra forced the attackers to retreat northwards.
This attack marks a year since the military coup that brought the army to power in Niger on July 26, 2023.
The ruling regime in Niger remains committed to reclaiming national sovereignty. Since taking power, the military council, led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former head of the presidential guard, has re-evaluated its international partnerships.
In late 2023, the council demanded the withdrawal of French troops, marking a significant shift in Niger's foreign policy.
By mid-September, American forces will also have vacated their drone base in Agadez, as well as their base in Niamey. However, the military council has replaced these Western allies with new partners, notably Russia, which sent military trainers in April and May.
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